The Phoenix Suns are rolling out the same starting five again as they prepare for one of their toughest tests yet, a home matchup with the Houston Rockets.
Phoenix enters the night at 2-5 after snapping a four-game skid with a 117-104 win over the Orlando Magic on Thursday. That victory gave the Suns a little momentum, but the challenge waiting in front of them is a steep one: Houston comes in at 7-2, sitting second in the NBA in net rating at +10.4 and third in offensive rating at 120.0.
The Rockets have also had Phoenix’s number lately, winning the last eight meetings between the teams. There’s extra edge around this one, too, after the social media back-and-forth last month involving Kevin Durant, Mat Ishbia and Dillon Brooks, along with the fact that Houston holds Phoenix’s 2027 first-round pick.
Phoenix will be short-handed again. Jordan Goodwin is out because of right calf injury management, and Mark Williams remains sidelined after left shoulder surgery. Houston has its own absences, with Clint Capela missing due to a right ankle sprain and Steven Adams out with a right soleus strain.
After starting Oso Ighodaro in place of Khaman Maluach against Orlando, the Suns are keeping that same group together tonight. That alignment worked well in its first outing, and the team liked the screening and connectivity Ighodaro gave them.
Houston, meanwhile, is coming off a 10-point home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday, but the Rockets have still looked like one of the league’s best teams so far. Their size can create problems for a smaller Phoenix group, and their rotation has shown a willingness to attack and score from all over the floor.
Asked at shootaround about the biggest keys against Houston, Suns guard Miles Bridges pointed to the obvious challenge.
"Stopping Kevin Durant," Bridges said (via The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin). "Well, really stopping everybody.
Just make them uncomfortable. When they’re playing comfortable, they’re very dangerous.
So we want to keep them out the paint and stop them from getting open threes."
Phoenix’s defense has been a major concern entering the game, with the Suns ranked 29th in defensive rating at 121.4. That only raises the difficulty against a Rockets team that brings size, shooting and pressure on both ends.
"Definitely the size, and the way they’ve been shooting the basketball too," Suns coach Jordan Ott said pregame of the challenges the Rockets possess. "They have a little bit of everything offensively and defensively. They’ve been elite so far this year.
"It’s always the glass with them off of the rebounding. Then defensively, they have such great one-on-one on-ball defenders. Trying to keep them out of the action the best we can, and then trying to win the possession game because again they rebound so well on both ends."
Tipoff is set for shortly after 7 p.m. MST.
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 🡒]