The Rockets were certain to have a new starting lineup with the departure of Danuel House Jr., but they changed things up even more, going with the small lineup that included 6-6 P.J. Tucker at center Wednesday against the Nets.
The Rockets went with three guards – James Harden, Austin Rivers and Eric Gordon – along with rookie Gary Clark at power forward. With that, every starter was between 6-4 and the 6-8 Clark.
With center Clint Capela out, the move was made, to allow Nene to match up with the Nets' Ed Davis, the Nets' top rebounder, off the bench without having to rely on either Isaiah Hartenstein or Marquese Chriss to start.