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The Golden State Warriors will host the Houston Rockets at the Chase Center in San Francisco on Saturday. It will be the second meeting between the two teams in the 2020-21 NBA season.
The two Western Conference rivals previously clashed on March 18, where the Golden State Warriors emerged victorious, courtesy of Draymond Green's triple-double outing of 16 points, 12 rebounds and ten assists. Fast forward to April, both teams have been struggling to keep their heads above water, though.
Heading into this matchup, the Houston Rockets have lost eight of their last ten games and are languishing in 14th spot in the West with a 14-38 record. Meanwhile, the Golden State Warriors (24-28) are imploding as well, having lost three of their last four outings.
Dubs are falling behind the competition and are only one game ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans, who are right on their trail at 11th place in the West.
Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors: Injury Report
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have struggled with several players falling in and out of rotation due to injury. Coach Stephen Silas will hope to get John Wall back in the lineup for this contest after he missed the game against the LA Clippers.
Danuel House Jr. remains on the sidelines due to an ankle injury. His status for this matchup is unclear. The Houston Rockets will continue to be without Dante Exum, David Nwaba and Eric Gordon, who are out for extended periods.
Exum is recovering from a calf injury and remains without a timetable for his return. Meanwhile, Nwaba is out till further notice, as he will have to undergo surgery on his wrist before he can hit the floor again.
Gordon is expected to miss 4-6 weeks of action due to a groin strain.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors will continue to miss the services of Eric Paschall. The Warriors power forward will be re-evaluated in two weeks after getting diagnosed with a left hip flexor strain.
Meanwhile, Juan Toscano-Anderson, who did not play against the Wizards due to soreness in his left elbow, is being monitored on a day-to-day basis. His participation in this game could be a game-time decision by the coaching staff.
On a positive note, the Golden State Warriors floor general Stephen Curry has been in blazing form. He dropped a 32-point performance against the Wizards in his last outing.
Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors: Predicted Lineups
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have not been able to feature a starting five consistently due to their injury-plagued roster. However, the team is in a better place now, as their star center Christian Wood is back to playing the game at a high level.
Wood will likely join Kelly Olynyk as the two frontline players for the Houston Rockets in this matchup. The duo did well in their previous outing, combining for 36 points and 14 rebounds on the night.
Coach Silas could send Jae'Sean Tate to feature at the small forward position. Tate is coming off an 18-point outing against the Clippers. Meanwhile, five-time All-Star John Wall should be available for this contest as well and is expected to join Kevin Porter Jr. in the backcourt.
The Houston Rockets will look to their bench to give them a boost. Sterling Brown and Kenyon Martin Jr. did well in their last outing and could come off the bench on Saturday.
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors are in desperate need of wins. Steve Kerr's side simply can't afford to lose against a team with the second-worst record in their conference.
7x All-Star Stephen Curry will likely resume his role at the point guard position as he takes his place next to Kelly Oubre Jr. in the backcourt. The duo is coming off a strong showing against the Wizards, combining for an impressive 55 points on the night.
Andrew Wiggins and the energetic Draymond Green should resume their roles on the wing as the two forwards. Both players failed to make an impact in their previous outing and should be determined to help their side take the win and build some momentum ahead of the playoffs.
Meanwhile, rookie James Wiseman could roll out at the Chase Center as the primary center. He is coming off an 18-point outing in which he also added six boards and two assists in only 23 minutes from the floor.
