Inside The Rockets

Rockets Coach Offers Fred VanVleet Injury Update

Fred VanVleet did not play in the Houston Rockets' win against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jeremy Brener|
Dec 5, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) drives past Golden State Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images
Dec 5, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) drives past Golden State Warriors center Trayce Jackson-Davis (32) during the third quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images | John Hefti-Imagn Images

In this story:

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are heading back home victorious as they beat the Los Angeles Clippers 117-106 at the Intuit Dome on Sunday night.

The Rockets were able to win without starting point guard Fred VanVleet, who was ruled out prior to the game due to a knee injury.

Rockets coach Ime Udoka explained the injury to reporters pre-game.

Udoka says that VanVleet bruised the knee on a hit against the Sacramento Kings, had it swell up, and then it was hyper-extended on Thursday against the Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets will continue to monitor VanVleet daily as the injury persists. It doesn't appear to be too serious, but it was hurting enough for him to miss out on the final game of the road trip against the Clippers even though the team had two full rest days after its last contest against the Warriors.

If he were to play on Wednesday in the team's NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup against the Warriors, it would give him six days since the injury, which could be enough to allow the knee to heal.

If VanVleet were to be unable to go, Amen Thompson would likely draw the start at point guard, just like he did against the Clippers. Thompson had 22 points and eight rebounds in the win against Los Angeles.

Want to join the discussion? Like Rockets on SI Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Rockets news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.

Home/News