Houston (2-1) at New Jersey (2-1) 8:30 pm CST Projected Starters Yao Ming vs. Alonzo Mourning Kelvin Cato vs. Brian Scalabrine Jim Jackson vs. Richard Jefferson Cuttino Mobley vs. Kerry Kittles Steve Francis vs. Jason Kidd The Rockets are coming off a complete blowout of the Chicago Bulls(98-66) last night. They got everything they wanted in that game, however that won't be the case tonight. They will go against their toughest match so far this year. The Nets on the other hand are coming off a 98-85 victory against the Wizards without the play of Kenyon Martin, who is out with a left ankle sprain. Even without Martin they still managed to win the game. The other players stepped up big time in the victory against the Wizards. Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson were both sensational in that performance and they will both play key roles tonight. Matchup Breakdown <u>Yao Ming vs. Alonzo Mourning</u> This is a perfect example of new school meeting old school. Alonzo was one of the best post defenders in the league until his illness a few years ago. He is having a decent start this year averaging 8 points, 2 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. Those numbers will simply not cut it tonight against the Rockets. Yao Ming is on the upside and has never played better basketball in his life. I look for Yao Ming to use his height and size to his advantage tonight in the paint against Mourning. Yao comes into the game averaging 16.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists. Advantage - Houston <u>Kelvin Cato vs. Brian Scalabrine</u> If it wasnt for Martin's injury, New Jersey would easily win this position. Lets face it Kelvin Cato is a monster on the glass and Brian Scalabrine is not. Cato does all the dirty work down low for the Rockets and where he really takes over is on the glass. Scalabrine played well against the Wizards in Martin's absence dropping 12 points and grabbing six rebounds. New Jersey will need those type of numbers tonight from him. A big part of their offense is out tonight, Brian needs to step it up for his team. Advantage - Houston <u>Jim Jackson vs. Richard Jefferson</u> Richard Jefferson might be one of the most underrated players in the game. He posesses all the skills of a good wingman. He is a tremendous slasher and playing along Jason Kidd only makes him that much better. He is coming of a 30 point performance against the Wizards and will go against the touch nosed defender, Jim Jackson. Look for this match to get physical especially on the offensive side for New Jersey. Jim Jackson might be a good defender, however the play of Richard Jefferson might be a little too much for him to handle. Advantage - New Jersey <u>Cuttino Mobley vs. Kerry Kittles</u> I will be the first to admit, that I am not the biggest Mobley fan in the world. However from what I have seen this year, he has really elevated his game and become a much better team player. He is coming into the game tonight averaging 14.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. Kerry Kittles comes in averaging 7.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Kerry will have to really produce tonight if the Nets want to walk out with a W. Advantage - Houston <u>Steve Francis vs. Jason Kidd</u> Here is the match up everyone has been waiting for. Will this be an exciting match or what? Both of these players are the leaders of their respected teams and move have a tremendous amount of skill. Both of them will look to get active scoring tonight. Jason will have to score a bit more than he is accustomed to. He personally needs to light it up tonight like he did against Washington. Francis needs to be cautious that he doesnt get caught in a Jason Kidd vs. Stevie Francis match up. If Francis isolates himself from his team in this match up it will be a long night for him and his team. Kidd is the best point guard in the game right now and he will prove it tonight. Advantage - New Jersey Overall This game should be a great if you like to see a high scoring game. Nobody is better at running the break then Jason Kidd. The Nets will look to get easy buckets in transition, and the Rockets must stop the full court game of the Nets at all costs. If this game gets into a run-and-gun contest then you will see the Nets get the win. The Rockets will focus tonight on maintaining the tempo(not allowing the Nets to get on scoring runs) and feeding the ball to the block. The injury of Kenyon Martin might come back to haunt the Nets in this game. The Rockets will look to exploit the weak inside of the Nets. If Kenyon was playing I would easily say that the Nets would win however that isnt the case anymore. Either of these teams can win the game tonight.
Please discuss the game in this thread: http://www.justbball.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8182 Thanks.
