Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks Provide Test of Rockets' Interior Defense
The Rockets' undersized roster will likely have to go through at least a couple of behemoths in order to survive the Western Conference playoffs. A matchup with either Nikola Jokic or Rudy Gobert looms in round one, and a battle with the Lakers' super-sized front court could be on the horizon. Houston sports one of the more unconventional rotations in recent memory. It will be tested early and often in Orlando.
The Rockets got an early test of their interior defense against the Mavericks on Friday night. The results were largely ugly. Dallas pummeled the Rockets on the boards with a plus-15 margin, while forward Kristaps Porzingis led the Mavericks with 39 points. Even backup center Boban Marjanovic blitzed the Rockets, simply extending over Houston's pseudo big-men for multiple offensive rebounds. The Rockets' shortcomings were evident early in their first seeding game.
Houston bounced back defensively after a truly ugly start, allowing just 20 points in the fourth quarter. James Harden continued to display his impressive post defense, while Russell Westbrook and Robert Covington wreaked havoc in passing lanes. There's a clear blueprint at play for the Rockets. They began to effectively implement it late against Dallas.
The Mavericks provided a legitimate test on Friday night with Porzingis and Luka Doncic. That challenge will only amplify on Sunday. Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks sport the NBA's No. 6 offense, and their MVP lives in the paint. Only four players shot a better goal percentage on drives to the rim in 2019-20. Just two tallied more dunks. Houston's interior defense will need to be firing on all cylinders to take down the best team in the East.
"They'll try to test us different ways," Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said before Sunday's contest. "Hopefully some of the things we did in the fourth quarter on Friday will carry over for a nice performance tonight."
The Rockets showed a semblance of interior strength late in Friday's matchup, stonewalling Porzingis and Co. on a stream of late-game possessions. Antetokounmpo is a whole different problem. The post-ups will be limited and the transition opportunities amplified, challenging perhaps the worst aspect of Houston's defense. The Rockets' seeding games in Orlando are of limited importance. But Sunday night should provide another test of their defensive progress in 2019-20.
