Houston Rockets

Luka Doncic cleared to play when Mavericks, Rockets meet

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With three losses in four games undermining what was a strong start to the season, the Dallas Mavericks received good news on Monday when All-NBA guard Luka Doncic was cleared to play Tuesday after sustaining a left thumb sprain against the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. Doncic, who entered the week third in the NBA in scoring (30.5 points per game) and sixth in assists per game (7.8), practiced Monday with his thumb wrapped. He

Nuggets look to get back on track against Rockets

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While the individual brilliance of Nikola Jokic and his seamless partnership with Jamal Murray laid the foundation for the Denver Nuggets’ championship run last season, occasional and timely defense provided an underlying support for the Nuggets’ postseason success. Without Murray, who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Nuggets can’t afford to be pedestrian defensively, which describes their recent play. With its 124-119 road loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, Denver suffered its third

Jalen Green, Rockets try to bounce back vs. Grizzlies

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Only two-plus seasons into Jalen Green’s career, it would seem too early for the Houston Rockets’ 21-year-old guard to face the level of scrutiny where every game is a referendum on his future. However, when Green has a performance like he did on Monday — when he missed 9 of 15 shots, including 7 of 9 3-pointers, and did not log one minute in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ 121-116 road loss to the

Warriors aim to salvage finale of homestand in clash vs. Rockets

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The Golden State Warriors will get an opportunity to pick on one of their favorite guests when they host the Houston Rockets on Monday night in San Francisco. The Warriors have dropped six in a row, including the first five contests of a six-game homestand. The last two defeats have come without Draymond Green, who is out on suspension for his role in an altercation vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Golden State is

Lakers look to build on momentum against surprising Rockets

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The host Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets will meet on Sunday for an early-season meeting in which both of them look to show that they can be serious threats in the Western Conference. The aging Lakers, who planned to reduce the on-court minutes of star LeBron James this season, are out to build on last season, when they rallied from a dreadful start to the campaign and made it to the Western Conference finals.

Rockets seek 7th straight win, take on reeling Clippers

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Fresh off a victory over the defending champions that continued to validate their improved level of play, the Houston Rockets will return to NBA in-season tournament play Friday with a road matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers. The Rockets extended their winning streak to six games Sunday with a 107-104 home victory over the Denver Nuggets and had a four-day break before the start of a three-game California trip. Houston is 1-0 in West Group

Michael Malone pushing right buttons as Nuggets travel to Rockets

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Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone was unwilling to wait for the less experienced members of his rotation to join the fight against the Golden State Warriors and, with three days between that showdown and the Nuggets’ next game, a Sunday road game against the Houston Rockets, Malone opted to lean heavily on his veterans. As is usually the case, Malone pushed the right buttons. The Nuggets fashioned a late rally and claimed a hard-earned 108-105

Rockets out to keep rolling at Pelicans’ expense

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With each victory and impressive performance, the Houston Rockets nudge their season-opening three-game skid deeper into the recesses of their collective memory. That fact doesn’t mean Houston coach Ime Udoka has let go of every detail from those early losses, particularly the Rockets’ overtime setback in San Antonio that preceded their current seven-game homestand. Udoka frequently references that defeat as a reminder of what happens when Houston doesn’t see things through to the end. Perhaps

Rockets rolling as weary Lakers pay a visit

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Following an offseason focused on building depth in support of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers have yet to reap the benefits of those acquisitions, with a slew of injuries continuing to undermine plans for development. The Lakers suffered a 108-107 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday in the second game of a four-game road trip that continues Wednesday against the Houston Rockets. They tipped off without four projected rotation players

Uneven in loss, Kings try to split back-to-back vs. Rockets

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The Sacramento Kings traversed the long road back into contention on Saturday against the Houston Rockets, erasing a 17-point first-half deficit before taking a one-point lead late in the third quarter when Harrison Barnes drilled a corner 3-pointer. What proved disheartening for the Kings was their inability to stay in the fight after laboring so hard to secure a second-half advantage. Sacramento limited the Rockets to 12 third-quarter points only to surrender 36 in the