Houston Rockets vs Toronto Raptors: Match Preview and Predictions - 5th December 2019Match details Fixture: Houston Rockets vs Toronto Raptors Date & Time: Thursday, 5th December 2019 (7:30 PM ET) Venue: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto, ON Last game results Houston Rockets (13-7): 133-135 OT loss against the San Antonio Spurs (3rd December, Tuesday) Toronto Raptors (15-5): 110-121 OT loss against the Miami Heat (3rd December, Tuesday) Houston Rockets Preview The Houston Rockets have blown hot and cold this season.
3. How will the Raptors fare against the Rockets' small-ball lineups? This is, quite possibly, the biggest thing to keep an eye on in the opening scrimmage. When these two teams met in December, Clint Capela saw 32 minutes of action but has since been traded by the Rockets, who have adopted a potentially revolutionary small-ball strategy with a starting lineup of players 6-foot-7 and under. While Toronto won't see Houston again — aside from a potential meeting in the Finals, of course — it seems to be on a crash course for a second-round meeting with the Boston Celtics, a team that could potentially roll out a lineup of Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward and Jayson Tatum.
Key Player - James Harden James Harden James Harden has carried the Houston offense on his shoulders all season. He's averaging a whopping 39. 5 points per game to go with 6. 1 rebounds, and 7. 8 assists. Harden enters this contest on the back of consecutive 50-point outings, against the Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs. He torched Atlanta for 60 points in just three quarters and followed it up with 50 against the Spurs, making all 24 of his free throw attempts. Harden struggled from the field against San Antonio, hitting on just 11 of his 38 attempts, and he will be keen to make amends when he takes the court against the Raptors.
Three Key Questions 1. What kind of basketball should we expect to see? You hear players and coaches say it time and time again, there's no way to replicate game speed and game repetitions. With that in mind, it's fair to expect there to be some rust present with both teams since it has been over four months since they've actually competed against another team.
With all of that in the past, these two teams are set to get the competitive juices flowing once again as they take the floor at The Arena, located at Disney's Wide World of Sports. In a way, things come full circle for these teams, as they faced off twice at a neutral location during the 2019 preseason as part of the 2019 NBA Japan Games. There, fans got their first look at the Houston version of the backcourt pairing of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, who made his Rockets debut in Japan. Westbrook's status for the scrimmage is uncertain.
Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets: Scrimmage preview, TV channel, start timeWho's Playing Matchup: Toronto Raptors vs. Houston Rockets Where to Watch Date: Friday, July 24 Time: 7:30 p. m. ET TV: TSN (Canada), NBA TV (United States) Location: The Arena (Disney's Wide World of Sports), Orlando, FL Per the NBA, the first exhibition scrimmage for every team will be 40-minute games with four 10-minute quarters. Game Preview When the Toronto Raptors take the floor for the first of three scrimmages ahead of the NBA's restart in Orlando, 137 days will have passed since the last time they took the floor.
1 points and 8. 6 rebounds per game this season while also shooting 38. 4% from beyond the arc. Against a Houston side not renowned for their effort on the defensive end of the floor, Siakam will fancy another big night. Raptors predicted lineup Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Marc Gasol, Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry Rockets vs Raptors Match Prediction The two teams split their pre-season meetings, with Houston following up a 5-point defeat with a 7-point victory. Last season, the Rockets swept the defending champions on the back of monster performances from James Harden, which means Toronto will be gunning for revenge in this contest.
Rockets predicted lineup Ben McLemore, PJ Tucker, Clint Capela, James Harden, Russell Westbrook Toronto Raptors Preview Following Kawhi Leonard's departure in the offseason, many believed the Raptors would fail to live up to expectations and even fall out of playoff contention. However, that's not been the case as they have continued from where they left off last time around. 20 games into the new season, Toronto boast a 15-5 record and occupy the third spot in the Eastern Conference Standings.
The Raptors certainly have the versatile, switchy personnel to match up with any type of lineup a team rolls out, including those of the revolutionary small-ball variety. While the results are largely inconsequential, I fully expect Nurse to have that in the back of his mind when employing rotations against the Rockets. Injury Report Injury reports will be made available closer to July 24 Game Notes Houston leads the league with 15. 4 made 3-pointers per game, Toronto's 13. 8 made 3-pointers per game are good for fourth James Harden is averaging a league-leading 34. 4 points through 61 games and is on track for his third-straight scoring title The Raptors boast the league's second-best defensive rating (104.
While in the grand scheme, what happened four months ago seems inconsequential with respect to momentum, it is worth noting that the Raptors were riding high, capping a four-game win streak with a tough road win over the Utah Jazz on March 9. Conversely, things weren't going as well for Houston, who had dropped four of its last five, with losses coming to the New York Knicks, LA Clippers, Charlotte Hornets and Orlando Magic.
Both teams are coming off grueling overtime losses but the fact that the Raptors are playing at home swings things in their favor. With Kyle Lowry back in action, Toronto should have enough firepower to edge this contest. Where to Watch Rockets vs Nuggets? The game will be broadcast on NBA TV, TSN4, and AT&T Sportsnet from 7:30 PM (ET).
Rockets vs. Raptors Tickets - Vivid Seats
Aside from Mbah a Moute and Rivers, both teams will likely have their full rosters at their disposal, though you should temper your limitations as to how much you will see players on the floor. With both the Raptors and Rockets looking to contend and make deep postseason runs, expect both Nick Nurse and Mike D'Antoni to err on the side of caution with their rotations to ensure their players are eased back into competition.
On July 13, the All-Star shared that he had tested positive for COVID-19 but recently joined the team in Orlando but ahead of the scrimmage, ESPN's Tim MacMahon has reported that Westbrook plans to play, having practiced twice since clearing the NBA's quarantine protocol. Rockets free-agent acquisition Luc Mbah a Moute has yet to join the team and Shams Charania of The Athletic has reported that Austin Rivers has left Orlando to deal with an urgent family matter.
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After all, that is what these three scrimmages are for. 2. How much will the starters play? For both teams, there's a delicate balance between taking the cautious approach to avoid any unnecessary burden and using this as an opportunity to continue to ramp up the conditioning for key players. Ahead of the scrimmage, Nurse told reporters that he plans on rotating the players he makes available for the scrimmages in order to keep everyone as fresh as possible for the eight "seeding" games (per Josh Lewenberg, TSN). Still, it's a unique opportunity to experiment with lineups as he will have a healthy roster at his expense for essentially the first time all year. New lineups could unlock new sets and rotations that could be used in the eight seeding games and, more importantly, the 2020 postseason.
Toronto hosts Houston in out-of-conference game - ABC13
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