Rockets Aim to Cool Off Streaking Suns in Phoenix
From Second to First. Another One in the Books. Entering the Fire.
Houston makes their third stop on this brutal road trip in Phoenix to take on the red-hot Suns on Friday night. Phoenix has won six straight games, including seven of their last eight contests, with the lone loss coming by one point on the road to Utah. After winning two straight to end their home-stand over the past weekend, Houston has dropped the first two games (both in Denver), to the Nuggets in their current four-game road trip, arguably their toughest of the entire season. After playing the second seed out West in the Nuggets, Houston now gets the early Christmas treat of playing the Suns, the top team in the conference. And tomorrow, the Rockets travel to the Bay Area to battle the defending champion Warriors on Saturday, in the back-half of back-to-back, and the Rockets third game in four nights. Houston needs a dire sense of urgency if they want to steal one of these next two games to close out this road-trip.
Phoenix has been without Chris Paul for the last eleven games due to an injury. It hasn’t hampered their play, as evidenced by their current winning streak. Most importantly, CP3’s absence has allowed one of the NBA’s most lethal scores, Devin Booker, to get let loose. In Phoenix’s previous game, Booker was scored a whopping 51 points, efficiently shooting 20-for-25 from the floor. He didn’t even play in the fourth quarter, as the Suns had no problem putting away the Chicago Bulls, 132-113, in their previous game on Wednesday. The Rockets obviously have their hands full trying to contain Devin Booker. His 51-point night was no anomaly coming from a man who once scored 70 points in an NBA game. Booker will obviously be the main focal point for Houston’s defense, and keeping him under 30 points would be respectable for the squad. They’ve got to make other Phoenix players do damage, the problem for the Rockets is, the Suns have plenty of tools in their arsenal to devastate opponents. De’Andre Ayton is a beast in the pain who will give Alperen Sengun and other Houston big men headaches tonight. Ayton’s coming off a 30-point, 14-board performance in the Suns’ last game. Mikal Bridges will also give the Rockets fits on the perimeter. The lengthy three point shooter and scrappy defender is one of most underrated players in the league. Another reason Phoenix hasn’t missed a beat with CP3 missing close to a dozen games.
The Rockets hope that mark turns to a dozen, as Houston will need all the help they can muster as they enter the fire this weekend. Back-to-backs are always tough, but especially on the road against elite competition. For a young team, these next two games will be the ultimate test of the Rockets’ maturity, growth, and evolution through this first quarter of the season. We are now officially 21 games into the season, and Houston has had one of the toughest schedules so far to start the year. It’s no excuse, but the Rockets need some wins if they want to avoid falling behind the rest of the pack, left solemnly holding the league’s worst mark for themselves. With a record of 5-16… maybe Houston will catch some much-needed heat as they square off against the NBA’s hottest team tonight.
Footprint Center: Phoenix, Arizona
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (5-16): Red
Phoenix Suns (15-6): Turquoise
Tip-Off: 8:00 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass