The Houston Rockets travel to Sacramento to face the Kings on Sunday, January 11, with tipoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. ET at the Golden 1 Center. Houston enters with a 22-13 record, while Sacramento struggles at 8-30.
The Rockets are dealing with significant absences, including Fred VanVleet (right knee; ACL repair) and Tari Eason (right ankle; sprain), both listed as out. Alperen Sengun is questionable with a right ankle sprain, raising concerns for Houston’s frontcourt depth. Two-way player Tristen Newton remains out on G League assignment.
Sacramento’s injury report highlights the loss of Domantas Sabonis (left knee; partial meniscus tear) and Keegan Murray (left ankle; sprain). Dennis Schroder is serving a league suspension, and Daeqwon Plowden and Isaiah Stevens are inactive on two-way contracts.
The Rockets have relied heavily on their star duo, Kevin Durant and Sengun, averaging 26.2 and 21.8 points per game respectively. Amen Thompson has added 18.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing, while Jabari Smith Jr. contributes 15.2 points and 6.9 rebounds. The team averages 118.5 points per game with 49.3 rebounds and 25.2 assists.
For the Kings, Zach LaVine leads scoring with 20.0 points per game, followed by DeMar DeRozan at 18.5 and Sabonis at 17.2, although Sabonis’ status remains out. Russell Westbrook contributes 14.5 points and 6.8 assists, but Sacramento averages just 109.8 points per game and 40.5 rebounds, ranking them near the bottom of the Western Conference.
Houston enters the matchup following back-to-back close losses to Portland, including a 102-103 defeat on January 7 and 105-111 on January 9, snapping a three-game winning streak. The Kings are enduring a five-game skid, including a 103-137 loss to the Warriors on January 9.
