Rockets Aim for Fifth Straight Home Win as Struggling Suns Slump into Town
Riders Welcome. Lacking the Book. Defend the House.
Coming off their most emotional and impressive win of the season, the Rockets host the struggling Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night. The Suns have lost four straight, and five of their last six since the last time these Western foes met earlier this month in Phoenix. In that contest, Houston narrowly escaped the desert with a one-point victory despite Devin Booker’s monstrous scoring night. Luckily for the Rockets, Booker is missing his second straight game tonight due to an injury. The squad still needs to ride their current momentum, as Phoenix has plenty of other weapons that can give Houston misery. Ex-Rocket Chris Paul certainly wants revenge on his former team, and Mikal Bridges and DeAndre Ayton are two of the league’s brightest rising stars. Speaking of stars, the Rockets biggest star in franchise history got quite the honor today, as the NBA named the Defensive Player of the Year Trophy after Hakeem Olajuwon. The Dream was a member of several legendary Hall-of-Famers to have their names bestowed upon the league’s most coveted awards.
Hopefully Jalen Green’s found his shooting rhythm, and the Rockets lock up defensively like they did in their previous win over the Bucks. The Suns may be lacking their best offensive weapon, but they can still easily trick the Rockets and deal them a loss, led by the NBA’s ultimate trickster in CP3. This is the second game of Houston’s current seven-game home-stand, as the Rockets attempt to continue rolling in front of the home fans. Houston is now an even 5-5 at home, compared to a dismal 3-13 road record. These young Rockets really feed off the fans. If you’re slowly coming around to this emerging Houston team, jump on the bandwagon, riders are still welcome. The Rockets need as many fans to pack the Toyota Center as possible, as they feed off the fans’ energy, and vice versa.
Houston is shooting for its fifth consecutive home win on Tuesday night. They don’t play a road game again until December 26th, in Chicago. The Rockets need to continue to seize advantage of this home-heavy stretch in the schedule. Expect another exciting close fought matchup tonight as the Suns will be hungry to get some revenge. However, the Rockets have plenty of shooters to deal Phoenix another loss. The most important aspect of tonight’s game comes down to defensive discipline. This Houston team is showing the league they’re more talented than many people expected. It’s the defensive end that usually ends up deciding whether the Rockets win or lose games this season. If the Rockets are ready to lock up… Houston can party until the Suns go down tonight.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Phoenix Suns (16-11): Black
Houston Rockets (8-18): Red
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass