Houston Rockets vs. Shanghai Sharks preseason preview

Tonight is game 2 of the preseason for the Rockets. They will be facing an overseas opponent.

Tonight, the Houston Rockets will take on the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. The two teams met last season in similar fashion with a poor result for the Sharks. The game will begin at 7 p.m. CT.

With Rockets legend Yao Ming formerly owning the Sharks, the connection is there to play them in a preseason contest. It will be played in Houston at the Toyota Center!

Last game, the Rockets defeated the Thunder 104-97. If you would like to see a full recap, then click here!

Let’s get into the matchups:

Matchups to watch

The best player for the Shanghai Sharks is definitely former NBA player Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer is extremely dangerous from 3, so the Rockets will need to guard him closely. Chris Paul should be a pretty tough matchup for Jimmer with how good the defense of CP3 is.

*update 5:10 p.m., Jimmer will not play tonight.*

Zhou Qi will face some competition similar to what he played against last year. In the CBA last season, Zhou averaged 16 points per game, along with 10 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. Since it is the preseason, he will likely get some decent minutes. Look for him to have a monster game.

The stars for the Rockets will probably hardly play, especially against a team that they should blow out.

Injury Report

Ryan Anderson is out after hurting his hip in the last game. It is a minor injury and is just a precaution. He is expected to play Monday against New York.

Last game, Nene Hilario and Tarik Black both did not play. We are not sure yet if they will today. If they do, Clint Capela will have a few fewer minutes.

Cameron Oliver is out for 4-6 weeks with a fractured hand. This will likely be the last time we mention it in the injury report. Get well soon, Cam!

Score Prediction

Lopsided in favor of Houston. That is about all we need to say.

Instead, take a look at how James Harden is approaching the game:

We're taking on the Shanghai Sharks tonight. We will be live streaming the game on https://t.co/VBY18eSOmU & on our Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/M1M1uK0u1q

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) October 5, 2017

How to watch

Like the tweet above says, the game will be on Rockets.com and the Houston Rockets Facebook page. Watch the Astros play the Red Sox in the playoffs and then head over to watch the Rockets play!

Next: 4 takeaways from the preseason opener