Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets game preview

SB Nation

The Brooklyn Nets had the NBA’s best defense in December. The Nets went 7-4 for the month and held all but two teams under league average scoring and efficiency. They picked up wins over the Raptors, Sixers,

and Timberwolves (the latter two on the road), and their offense has come along as well. In fact, Brooklyn’s worst game of the season defensively was that early season tilt against the Houston Rockets.

I don’t need to scare Rockets fans when it comes to the Nets, especially after Brooklyn swept Houston last season and handed them a heartbreaking loss in New York. Jordi Fernandez is a really good coach, and even with the Nets trying to tank, they haven’t been able to Jordi-proof the roster. The Nets own the fifth-worst record in the NBA as I type this, but there’s probably a little hand-wringing going on in the front office as Brooklyn continues to improve and look good.

The Rockets, meanwhile, have shown a lot of Jekyll and Hyde during December. They’ve seemed entirely capable of using their talent and athletic advantage to smash inferior opponents, but they’ve also let their foot off the gas several times (at New Orleans, at Sacramento, and Monday night against Indiana all come to mind). If they played NBA games on paper, Houston would be 26-4. Alas, they actually make the teams play the games and if Houston wants to win, they’re going to have to find a way against a feisty Nets squad with Houston’s two rotation bigs dealing with minor injuries.