Rockets Aiming to Bounce Back, Host Slumping Suns
Splash Gordon Returns. Settling Suns. Eyes on Green.
A familiar face returns to Toyota Center tonight, as the Houston Rockets host Eric Gordon and the Phoenix Suns. EG played six and half seasons for the Rockets, and was a consummate professional throughout his entire time in H-Town. “Splash” Gordon was a member of the 2017/2018 team that set the franchise record for regular season wins, and almost dethroned the dynastic, overloaded Warriors. If not only for the infamous Chris Paul hamstring injury that denied the Rockets their first title in decades. But that’s all in the past. EG returns with a new squad, the struggling Phoenix Suns. Besides adding Gordon, Phoenix acquired All-Star Bradley Beal in the offseason to pair with fellow superstars Devin Booker and Kevin Durant. Phoenix’s problem has been their inability to get these three players on the court at the same time. Beal has played only a handful of games this season, and will miss tonight’s contest.
The Rockets are coming off a tough, close loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night. It’s the second of a back-to-back for Houston, as Phoenix has had one day off after playing on Christmas. The slumping Suns have lost three straight games, and five of their last six overall. Houston’s mired in their own mini-slump at home. After winning eleven consecutive games at Toyota Center, the Rockets have now lost two of their last three home games. They’ll try and find their groove at home against a struggling Phoenix squad starting to show signs of frustration. Rumors in the Valley say Kevin Durant is extremely frustrated, and has possibly “checked out” on the season. KD barked back at these rumors on social medial, but these Suns are looking more and more like the “Big Three” in Brooklyn that featured KD, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. Those Nets never made it to their Championship aspirations, and much was due to injuries and missed time, the same factors being witnessed in the Valley of the Sun. The Rockets will try and deal the Suns their fourth straight loss, as Houston looks to get back on track at Toyota Center tonight.
While Phoenix has arguably been the league’s most disappointing team to start this season, Houston isn’t without their own set of problems. The Rockets have seen a culture change in Houston since Ime Udoka was named the head coach to start this season. He prevented James Harden from coming back to dribble Houston back into mediocrity. Harden wanted to be “the man,” but he’s just not that player anymore. Udoka knows it. The league knows it. It’s simply a fact. By putting more emphasis on team defense and movement on offense, the Rockets have transformed from one of the worst defensive teams into one of the best. Their offense is more fluid, and everyone seems to be buying in, except for Jalen Green. The former second overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft is in the middle of a serious slump. Over his last two games, Green has only scored a combined 14 points on 4-for-15 shooting from the floor. And he’s played around 20 minutes in each game, way less action than he was seeing earlier in the season. And low minutes for any young player in an NBA starting lineup. The Rockets last two games have been close, and Green hasn’t even played in crunch time of either contest. His minutes, touches, and the faith the coaching staff has in him are all declining at a rapid rate. Currently, Green is the worst player in Houston’s rotation, and he has the squad playing uphill in winnable games (see last night’s loss for example). The scrutiny on his game is growing more and more with each passing game. It’s still too early to give up on the youngster. He’s still only 21 years old, and has shown signs of the All-Star Houston fans hope one day he will become. But compared to Alperen Sengun, who was drafted 16th in the same class, he’s not progressing as expected. As Jalen is mired in the worst slump of his career, Sengun is playing the best ball of his life. If these two can ever start clicking together on the court, the Rockets will be tough to beat.
For now, Houston fans can only hope Green gets out of his own head. Jalen has the talent to perform at a higher level, he just desperately needs to play harder, especially on defense. Expect another thriller tonight at Toyota Center, and an emotional tribute video for Eric Gordon… as the Rockets face a desperate Suns team that’s struggling to stay in the playoff-picture.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Phoenix Suns (14-15): Black
Houston Rockets (15-13): “City Edition” White
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass