Adams Ruled Out for Monday's Hawks Rematch; VanVleet Off the Rockets' Injury Report
Houston's rotation picture shifted Sunday: reserve center Steven Adams (calf) was ruled out for Monday's home rematch with Atlanta, Marcus Smart (forearm) was deemed questionable, and Fred VanVleet — who sat out Saturday — did not appear on the injury report.
The Houston Rockets will be without reserve center Steven Adams for Monday's home rematch against the Atlanta Hawks at Toyota Center. Adams, who sat out Saturday's game in Atlanta with a calf issue, was ruled out for Monday, Field Level Media reported Sunday, while veteran guard Marcus Smart, who also missed Saturday with a forearm injury, was deemed questionable.
The encouraging name was the one missing from the list. Guard Fred VanVleet did not appear on Houston's injury report for Monday. VanVleet, who missed last season following preseason knee surgery, sat out the second game of the back-to-back on Saturday, and Reed Sheppard started in his place — posting 19 points on 5-of-11 three-point shooting with seven assists, six rebounds and two steals in the 121-114 win that kept Houston unbeaten.
Depth carried the Rockets through Saturday's compromised rotation, and head coach Ime Udoka credited that quality after the win. "Guys don't care about the circumstances or who's available," Udoka said. "It's a group that's confident with whoever's out on the court." Reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic added 11 points in 20 minutes off the bench while helping fill Smart's absence.
Atlanta, meanwhile, gets an immediate second look at a game it nearly stole. The Hawks missed 36 of 49 three-pointers on Saturday but, trailing 111-93 with 5:43 remaining, closed to within five points with 36.5 seconds left, behind Jalen Johnson's 26 points, 16 assists and nine rebounds. "The biggest takeaway is that we kept playing," Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. Tip-off Monday is 7:30 p.m. CT at Toyota Center, with Houston chasing a 4-0 start.
