Houston Rockets will look to win tough back-to-back vs. Clippers

The Houston Rockets are coming off of a blowout victory over the Sacramento Kings a night ago. Can they look that good once again and beat the LA Clippers tonight?

The Houston Rockets are approaching the end of the season. In a year full of ups and downs, the team is definitely in the “up” stage now. They have won eight of their last 10 games, including a destruction of the Kings last night, 130-105.

The biggest improvement throughout the year has been the play on the defensive end. The Rockets are starting to look more and more like last year’s team that could beat you on both ends of the court. Let’s hope that play continues into the playoffs, where defense is absolutely crucial.

They’ll be facing another hot team, the LA Clippers, tonight on the second end of a back-to-back in California. They also have won eight of their last 10 and are making a push for better seeding in the playoffs, despite trading away Tobias Harris at the trade deadline.

The Clippers have yet to see this true Rockets team so far this season. To be fair, though, this LA team is also drastically different. The two squads played their first two matchups in October and haven’t seen each other since. Houston lost both of those games, as they lost quite a bit early on in the year. Carmelo Anthony was still on the squad and the mid season additions of Danuel House, Austin Rivers and Kenneth Faried definitely hadn’t happened yet.

The Clippers are dangerous

The Los Angeles “Former Rockets” are a primed and dangerous team that is getting ready for a postseason appearance. They have a ton of incredible role players and are led by Lou Williams, the likely Sixth Man of the Year, and Danilo Gallinari, both of whom average around 20 points a night.

Our old friend Montrezl Harrell is also enjoying a breakout season, averaging 16.7 points and 6.6 rebounds a night. He’s an energy machine as he once was in Houston. Oh yeah, and that Patrick Beverley guy is still pretty good, too.

The most recent change to the team, though, is the move at the deadline to acquire Iviva Zubac from the Lakers. He’s been a great role player for the team and looks to have a bright future in the league.

On paper, you wouldn’t think that the Clippers were more than a middle of the pack or lower-end team, but the way they play as a unit is something special. They’re a team you don’t really want to see in the playoffs if you’re a top-4 seed.

Let’s hope that the Rockets can still come out victorious tonight and that there are no tunnel incidents in this one.