The Phoenix Suns (14-15) travel for a quick one game road trip tonight to play the Houston Rockets (15-13) for the first time this season. The Suns are really struggling, having lost three straight and nine of their last 12 games. As for the Rockets, they played just last night and fell to the Indiana Pacers, snapping a two-game winning streak. Phoenix will get back Jusuf Nurkić, who had missed the last two games after the passing of his uncle, and will continue to be without Bradley Beal (right ankle sprain) tonight. The Rockets will be without Dillon Brooks (right oblique strain) for the first time this season.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Local Game Information
Start Time: 6:00 p.m. MST
Location:Â Toyota Center
TV Channel: 3TV/AZ Family
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, La Mejor 106.5 FM
Stream:Â Suns Live (click for more info)
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) December 27, 2023
Betting Odds
Line: PHX -3.5
O/U:Â 225.5
Injury Report
Phoenix Suns: Jusuf Nurkić (personal reasons) AVAILABLE | Bradley Beal (right ankle sprain) OUT | Josh Okogie (right ankle soreness) AVAILABLE | Nassir Little (orbital fracture) AVAILABLE | Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) OUT
Houston Rockets:Â Dillon Brooks (right oblique strain) OUT | Tari Eason (left lower leg soreness) AVAILABLE | Victor Oladipo (left patellar tendon repair) OUT
Starters (Projected)
Phoenix Suns: Devin Booker, Eric Gordon, Grayson Allen, Kevin Durant, Jusuf Nurkić
Houston Rockets:Â Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun
Five Keys to Game for Suns
- Kevin Durant and Devin Booker more involved
- Jusuf Nurkić wins center battle vs. Alperen Sengun
- Play the full 48 minutes, can’t just be good in spurts
- Play cohesively
- Defense leading to offense
Prediction
Rockets 120 – Suns 115
The Suns have a very good chance to snap out of their slump tonight, getting Jusuf Nurkić back and facing the Rockets on the second night of a back-to-back for Houston. However, they also had a good chance on Monday against a short-handed Dallas team and that didn’t matter, as they ended up losing by 14. The Rockets are well-coached and have built a lot of cohesion this season with their starters pretty much available every game, while the Suns lack this cohesion element to the team so far. Phoenix has not shown enough to pick them in this game, but they could continue their strong offensive showing from Monday and tighten up the paint defensively with Nurkić back to finally get a victory. I just don’t see them quite there to play a full 48-minute game yet and have the Rockets winning this one. I predict the Suns to falter in the fourth quarter once again tonight.
Last Time Out
It was not a very Merry Christmas at Footprint Center for Phoenix Suns fans Monday night, as the Dallas Mavericks (18-12) beat the Suns 128-114 to send them to below .500 on the season at 14-15. Luka Doncic was met with a ton of boos, but went absolutely nuclear, dropping 50 points and 14 assists. The Mavericks came out of the gates looking to put the struggling Suns away with a big first quarter. However, the Suns were able to come back and take the lead in the third quarter, led by Grayson Allen, who finished with 32 points and four assists, and Chimezie Metu, who had 23 points and 19 rebounds. Dallas answered back with a huge fourth quarter in which they shot 68% from the floor to take control to the finish line. Devin Booker had 20 points and 10 assists for Phoenix, while Kevin Durant had 16 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and six turnovers, as Dallas was able to force the ball out of the two stars’ hands several times throughout the night.
In a game that featured 15 lead changes and six ties, the Houston Rockets (15-13) fell 123-117 to the Indiana Pacers (15-14) last night. Alperen Snegun had a monster night for Houston, finishing with 30 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four steals. Fred VanVleet tacked on 18 points and nine assists, while Tari Eason had 16 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Houston outscored Indiana 74-44 in paint points and led with under two minutes remaining, before Tyrese Haliburton led the Pacers to victory.
Flashback: Last Meeting (Dec. 13, 2022)
Team Matchup Notes
Here are some stats, notes and everything else to know about the Suns and Rockets before their first matchup of the season (via Suns)
Each team’s stats (via Suns):
Preview: Jusuf Nurkić Available, Team Injury Reports
Jusuf Nurkić Upgraded to Available for Tonight’s Matchup vs. Rockets, Rockets Injury Update
Suns Upgrade Key Starter to Probable for Tomorrow’s Game vs. Rockets
Last Game: Video Recap and Player Interviews
Video Recap: Mavericks Spoil Suns’ Christmas with 128-114 Defeat
Devin Booker Speaks on Frustration amidst Suns’ Shortcomings
Grayson Allen Talks Suns Struggles after Season-High 32 Points
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
