The Phoenix Suns are heading into tonight’s matchup with the Houston Rockets a little thinner than expected.
Jordan Goodwin, who had been listed as doubtful because of a calf injury, was downgraded to out before tipoff. Rasheer Fleming, meanwhile, was questionable with a left ankle issue but is available.
The game is set for 7:00 pm MST at Mortgage Matchup Center.
Houston comes in as the favorite despite dealing with its own injury problems. Steven Adams and Clint Capela are both out, which leaves a gap in the Rockets’ frontcourt behind Alperen Sengun.
That matters for a Suns team trying to carry over what it did defensively against Orlando. Phoenix’s best defensive showing of the season gave Jordan Ott a reason to point to progress, even if he made clear the results still have to follow.
“You could talk process, process, process. And we do believe there’s steps to take, so it feels right and looks right, both. But you do want results," Suns head coach Jordan Ott said this week.
"The goal is to win the game. We feel steadily improving, even tonight.
It wasn’t a full 48, but we were getting closer. Defensively is where we have to hang our hat.
We know it helped us last year. This is a defensive-minded group.
We have to continue to hammer some of those things that we don’t have, you know, size across the board. We know that we have to guard the ball and we have to rebound.
That’s going to be the two things that we’re going to harp on all season.”
There should also be a little extra edge with Dillon Brooks and Kevin Durant on the same floor. The two have not exactly kept their feelings to themselves, and Brooks leaned right into that before the game.
“For me, I'm not laying down to nobody saying nothing, especially a player,” Brooks said (h/t The Arizona Republic).
“Media is one thing. A player speaking on my name, about something that happened to me.
I wouldn't speak on him if it happened to him as well. Anyways, it’s just going to build the juice up and I can’t wait.”
In Other News...
Booker And Green Just Gave Suns Fans A New Reason To Believe
The Suns got a much-needed lift at PHX Arena, edging the Rockets 102-99 in a game that felt important well beyond the final margin. Devin Booker led Phoenix with 24 points, and Jalen Green added 16 as the Suns found just enough offense to keep pace with a Houston team that had been rolling early.
Kevin Durant finished with 21 points for the Rockets, but Houston still walked out at 7-3 while Phoenix moved to 3-5. For a Suns team looking for any sign of traction, this was the kind of win that can steady a locker room and give the fan base something to hold onto as the season keeps taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
Dillon Brooks Just Added Fuel To The Kevin Durant Drama
Kevin Durants return to face the Suns came with the kind of edge that has followed him into just about every meeting with Phoenix lately. He finished with 21 points on 5-of-14 shooting, but the box score only told part of the story. The bigger backdrop was the public tension between Durant and Suns owner Mat Ishbia, a storyline that has lingered long enough to give these games a little extra bite.
Dillon Brooks made sure that backdrop did not stay in the background for long. The Suns wing referenced the conflict and seemed intent on taking the defensive assignment personally, adding another layer to a matchup that already had enough fuel. For Phoenix, it was another reminder that when Durant is on the other side, the game can feel bigger than the standings and more personal than the schedule would suggest. [Read more 🡒]
Suns Already Face A Tough Booker Decision With Starters Struggling
The early-season numbers have only sharpened the questions around Phoenixs starting group, and Devin Booker is right in the middle of them. At 3-5, the Suns are still trying to sort out what this roster is supposed to look like, while the current first unit has struggled to find any real rhythm on either end. Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and Booker have all posted rough net plus-minus marks, a sign that the fit has been clunky even before the deeper issues of size, defense and the absence of a true power forward come into focus.
For the Suns, the dilemma is less about identifying the problem than deciding which fix is least disruptive. Standing pat risks letting the same issues linger, but changing the starting lineup could create new ones, and any trade path brings its own complications with players such as Green or Bridges. Bookers role only makes the decision more delicate, because whatever Phoenix does next will say a lot about how aggressively it wants to chase a cleaner balance around its star guard. [Read more 🡒]