Suns Burn Rockets, 129-113, in Gordon’s Return to Houston
One Step Behind. Schedule Loss. Bit by the Bug.
Eric Gordon returned to his old stomping grounds, and helped fuel the Phoenix Suns, scoring a season-high 27 points, en route to dealing the Rockets a 129-113 defeat on Wednesday night. Kevin Durant also scored 27 points for the Suns, who snapped a three-game losing streak. Alperen Sengun led the Houston with 24 points, and Jalen Green had somewhat of a bounce-back game, scoring 23 points on 8-for-20 shooting for the Rockets. Houston was just one step behind Phoenix from the opening tip, and lacked the usual energy we’ve seen from this squad throughout the season. The Rockets have now lost two straight games at Toyota Center after starting the season 12-2 at home. In other bad news, Jabari Smith Jr. was the latest Rocket to go down, as he suffered an injury and left the game. Dillon Brooks suffered an oblique injure in the previous loss to the Pacers, as Houston’s roster is the most depleted it’s been all season.
After nearly having a full-strength roster for most of the season, the Rockets have now been bit the injury bug. With Dillon Brooks, and now Jabari Smith Jr., Houston is without two of their key starters on this squad. No timetable has been set for either’s return, and while neither injury looks serious, these two could miss a few games for the Rockets. Houston will need to find a way to weather their absences, and guys off the bench need to step up and fill roles accordingly. Cam Whitmore got first-quarter minutes for the first time this season, and will likely see a larger role with the recent injuries to the squad. Wednesday night’s loss to the Suns wasn’t a surprising result for the Rockets. Phoenix desperately needed a win. The Suns were under .500 for the first time in five years, and riding a three-game slide. The surprise is the lack of effort shown on the Rockets side. Houston’s lost fourteen games this season, but they’ve been completive in the majority of their defeats. That wasn’t the case on Wednesday night, as the Rockets lacked effort and looked tired.
The loss to the Suns was the second of a back-to-back for Houston, and their third game in four nights. The Rockets will now get a day of rest before they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night. The Sixers have been without Joel Embiid for their last two games. Regardless, if he plays, the Sixers are smart, talented, and hard to beat. Philly is one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and will present another tough challenge for Houston… hopefully they bring more effort to close out 2023 this weekend.