Rockets Return Home, Host Suns for Second Time
Home Medicine. Sunny Future. Back-to-Back.
The Houston Rockets return home on Friday night for the first time after the All-Star break. Awaiting them will be the Phoenix Suns, who beat the Rockets earlier this season in Houston shortly after Christmas. Both teams are coming off losses last night, the Suns in Dallas, and the Rockets in New Orleans. So tonight’s matchup is even in terms of rest-advantage. Kevin Durant and Devin Booker both played near 40 minutes last night, which could be good news for Houston tonight. Bradley Beal and Jusuf Nurkic will both miss tonight’s contest for Phoenix, as they’re dealing with injuries. Durant and Booker are the Suns’ most lethal threats offensively, and the Rockets need to keep an eye on Grayson Allen, who’s having the best season of his young career. Phoenix’s pesky guard is shooting lights out from beyond the arc, and scored 16 points in the first matchup between these squads.
The Rockets have shown to be completely different team at home opposed to on the road this season. Houston is 19-9 at Toyota Center, good for the fifth best home record out West. Expect the Rockets to be much sharper tonight after coming off another disappointing road loss. Houston is still without Tari Eason, who may be shut down for the remainder of the season, although Coach Ime Udoka or the Rockets haven’t officially made any statements implying this just yet.
Houston will be seeing a lot of these Suns in the near future. Phoenix won the first matchup, 129-113, on December 27th in H-Town. Entering tonight, three of the next five games for the Rockets are against the Suns. They’ll play Phoenix twice in a row in the desert next week. Considering how poorly Houston performs on the road, they really need to win tonight if they want a chance to beat the Suns at all this season. Look for the Rockets to at least make it a competitive game tonight, and given Phoenix’s injuries, Houston may be able to pile on another home win in their return to Toyota Center.
Toyota Center: Houston, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Phoenix Suns (33-23): Purple
Houston Rockets (24-31): “City Edition” White
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass