A pair of Western Conference teams take the floor looking for a win in the Valley of the Sun. The Houston Rockets are on the road as they travel to face the Phoenix Suns Friday night. Houston rolled to a 125-110 home win over the Hornets Tuesday night in their last contest. Phoenix was dumped 116-108 on the road by the Pistons Wednesday night in their previous contest. The Rockets own a 108-107 edge in the all-time regular season series between the teams and have won the last 13 matchups, including two this season. That includes a 139-125 road win in the most recent matchup on December 21, 2019.
Houston Rockets Poised to Embrace Small Ball
Houston earned a third straight win as they took care of business against Charlotte in their previous game. The Rockets entered Thursday with a 1.5-game lead over the Mavericks in the Southwest Division race. In the Western Conference playoff picture, the team was tied for fourth, 6.5 games behind the Lakers for the top spot. Houston trailed by 12 after one quarter but rallied to within one at the half. The game was tied with 7:01 to play but the Rockets closed the game on a 22-7 run to earn the victory. Houston shot 44.3 percent from the floor, including 20 of 60 from three-point range, and forced 17 Charlotte turnovers. James Harden led the Rockets with 40 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists in the win.
The Rockets enter this contest second in the league with 118.8 points per game on the season. Houston is 6th in rebounding by collecting 46.3 boards a night while they are 28th in assists with 21.6 dimes per contest. The Rockets are a dismal 22nd in scoring defense as they give up an average of 114.5 points per game on the year. James Harden leads the team with 35.8 points plus 7.3 assists a night on the season. Russell Westbrook puts up 26.4 points, eight rebounds and 7.4 assists a night. PJ Tucker (7.5 points, 7.1 rebounds), Eric Gordon (15.7 points) and Danuel House Jr. (10.6 points) are solid contributors. Austin Rivers, Ben McLemore (10.4 points), Robert Covington and Tyson Chandler are key pieces of the rotation as well for coach Mike D’Antoni. Houston is 22nd in field goal percentage as they shoot 45.2 percent as a team from the floor. The Rockets are first in threes per game as they knock down 15.3 triples a night and stand 22nd in three-point shooting by hitting only 34.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Houston made a couple of deals leading into the trade deadline. The Rockets sent Clint Capela and Nene Hilario to Atlanta in addition to shifting the injured Gerald Green to Denver. Houston picked up Robert Covington from Minnesota along with Jordan Bell and a 2024 second-round pick. Bell was later dealt to Memphis in exchange for Bruno Caboclo. That really leaves the Rockets leaning toward a smaller lineup, with only Chandler as a proven big man.
Phoenix Suns Trying to Gain Ground in Playoff Chase
Phoenix came up on the short end in the Motor City as they were dropped by the Pistons Wednesday night. The Suns entered Thursday third in the Southwest Division, 19 games behind the Lakers for the top spot in the standings. In the Western Conference playoff picture, the team is tied for 11th in the standings, six games behind the Grizzlies for the final playoff spot. Phoenix trailed by seven after the opening quarter, by three at the half and by three after three quarters. The Suns were within one with 4:43 to play before giving up a 7-0 run that essentially sealed their fate. Phoenix shot 54.5 percent from the field, including 12 of 26 from three-point range, but turned the ball over 16 times. Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Suns with 30 points in the loss.
The Suns are 13th in the league in scoring with an average of 112.5 points per game. The Suns are 21st on the glass by collecting 43.6 boards per game. Phoenix stands 2nd in the league in assists with 26.9 per contest. Phoenix is 20th in the league in scoring defense as they allow 113.9 points a night. Devin Booker leads the Suns with 26.7 points plus 6.3 assists per game on the year. Kelly Oubre Jr. (18.8 points, 6.6 rebounds), Deandre Ayton (18.6 points, 12 rebounds), Aron Baynes (11.5 points, 5.8 boards), Ricky Rubio (12.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 8.7 assists), Dario Saric (9.6 points, six rebounds) and Frank Kaminsky (11 points, 4.9 rebounds) are each solid scoring options. The Suns are tied for 13th in the league in field goal percentage at 46.3 percent so far. The Suns are 22nd in three pointers per game with 10.9 per contest. Phoenix is 23rd in three-point percentage as they splash 34.7 percent of their chances from long range. Kaminsky is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his right kneecap. Baynes is dealing with a hip injury that has kept him out since January 18. He is expected to be re-evaluated early next week. Saric didn’t travel with the team for this three-game trip as he is battling an ankle injury. Tyler Johnson remains out with a knee injury.
