Rockets Roll Out Heavyweight Starting Five Against Thunder
Lineup alert: Rockets will start Smart, Thompson, Durant, Smith Jr., Sengun on Saturday.
The are officially rolling out a starting five of , , Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun for Saturday night's clash with the Thunder.
If you are holding tickets to this game, congratulations. You are about to watch a lineup that looks like it was drafted by a 12-year-old playing NBA 2K with the salary cap turned off.
Houston is currently sitting at 5-1 and boasting a league-best 121.8 offensive rating. They just took their first loss of the season on Friday in a 116-111 scrap against the Dallas Mavericks, but throwing this five-man unit back on the floor is a pretty good way to stop a losing streak at one.
Alperen Sengun is currently operating as the hub of the universe, leading the team with 24.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game. Add in stuffing the stat sheet with 17.7 points a night, and you have a core that makes opposing defenses look like they are trying to solve a Rubik's Cube in the dark.
Smart is coming off an eight-point, three-steal performance against Dallas, providing the exact kind of perimeter chaos this high-powered offense needs to balance out. Bettors have already noticed the Houston wagon, considering the Rockets are a sparkling 5-1 against the spread to start the year.
The 4-1 Oklahoma City Thunder are rolling into town for an 8:30 PM tipoff that suddenly feels like a playoff preview in October. If this starting five clicks the way the numbers suggest they should, the Thunder are going to need a lot more than good vibes to get out of Texas with a win.