Watch Rockets @ Nets live on Sky Sports Arena on Friday night from 11pm
Saturday 2 November 2019 05:51, UK
James Harden and the Houston Rockets face Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets, live on Sky Sports on Friday night.
The Rockets (3-1) have ensured there hasn't been a dull moment yet in the first four games of their new season by both scoring and allowing plenty of points. Houston come into this game having notched three consecutive victories, with their most recent a wild 159-158 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, the third-highest scoring game in NBA history.
James Harden posted 59 points, including the game-winning free throw with 2.4 seconds left, and added nine assists, three rebounds and one steal to his game-high scoring tally. Russell Westbrook contributed a 17-point,12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double that also included two steals and one block.
The Rockets will continue to be without Michael Frazier (ankle) for Friday's contest, while Nene Hilario (hip) will likely be sidelined as well.
The Nets (1-3) have been lighting up plenty of scoreboards themselves, although they have also been guilty of some shoddy defense in the early going. Brooklyn come into this contest having lost two straight games, with their most recent stumble coming against the Indiana Pacers by a 118-108 margin on Wednesday night.
Kyrie Irving paced the Nets with 28 points, adding seven rebounds and six assists among his other contributions. Spencer Dinwiddie supplied 20 points, seven assists and two rebounds. Caris LeVert managed 15 points, six boards and three assists.
The Nets will continue to be without Wilson Chandler (suspension) on Friday.
The two teams split the two-game 2018-19 season series.
43.3 - In each of their last three games, the Nets have faced an opponent that made more than 40 per cent of their three-point attempts. Brooklyn are last in the NBA in three-point percentage allowed (43.3).
The counter is that they've had more success limiting the overall volume of attempts from three-point range, which has always been a focus of a Kenny Atkinson defensive scheme. The Nets are giving up 31.8 attempts per game, the eighth-lowest in the league.
That element will be tested by Houston, the league leaders with 47.8 three-point attempts per game.
While Harden was racking up the points against Washington, Capela quietly generated a 21-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included three assists, one steal and one block.
The 6ft 10in center offers consistent production for the Rockets. You know what to expect from him night in, night out - mid-teens scoring at a high field percentage (thanks to being the finisher of Harden's lob passes), double-figure rebounding and impact on the defensive end.
While Kyrie Irving provides the artistry for Brooklyn, LeVert brings explosive offensive firepower.
Back to his best after missing extended time last season due to a serious leg injury, LeVert has made a red-hot start to the 2019-20 campaign averaging a career-high 18.5 points per game on 45.5 per cent shooting.
