Rockets vs. Suns
When/where: 7 p.m.; Toyota Center. TV/radio: ATTSW; 790 AM, 1010 AM (Spanish).
So far: Rockets 13-35; Suns 34-14 (through Saturday). Lately: The Rockets returned home for a three-game homestand beginning Sunday against the Pelicans with losses in each of their previous three games. The Suns have a five-game winning streak and wins in eight of their past nine games after topping the Thunder by 37 on Friday.
SCOUTING THE ROCKETS
The Rockets have lost their past two meetings with the Suns after a 13-game winning streak. … The Rockets, who faced the Pelicans in Toyota Center on Sunday, are 4-4 in the second half of back-to-backs. … The Rockets on Sunday used the same starting lineup in a third consecutive game, matching their longest stretch with the same lineup this season. … The Rockets rallied from a 20-point halftime deficit before falling by six in the first meeting with the Suns. The Rockets have just two players available, Jae’Sean Tate and Sterling Brown, who played in that game Jan. 20. … The Rockets went into Sunday’s game having shot a better percentage than opponents in five of their previous eight games after 17 games in which opponents shot a better percentage, matching the longest streak since 1983-84 in which they had been outshot. The Rockets were 0-27 going into Sunday’s game when teams made a better percentage of their shots.
SCOUTING THE SUNS
The Suns are second in the Western Conference and have the third-best net rating in the NBA. They are one of three teams, along with the Jazz and Bucks, in the top 10 of offensive and defensive rating. They have not finished in the top 10 in both since the 1997-98 season. … This is the deepest into a season that the Suns have been first or second in the conference since April 7, 2010. … In the past two months, the Suns rank second in offensive rating, first in field goal percentage, second in assists and third in 3-point percentage. … They are 26-6 in their past 32 games, the NBA’s best record in that stretch. … The Suns rank second in assist to turnover ratio. … The Suns have been off since Friday, when they outscored the Thunder 22-5 to open the game and led by 30 at the end of the first quarter. … Averaging 25.6 points per game, Devin Booker has averaged 29.7 in his past five games on 50.5 percent shooting. … Chris Paul’s 8.7 assists per game are his most since 2016-17, his final season with the Clippers. … Center Deandre Ayton’s scoring dropped from 18.2 points per game to 14.5, but he is making a career-best 60.8 percent of his shots. … Forward Mikal Bridges is averaging careerhighs in scoring (13.3 points per game), shooting (52.9 percent), 3-point shooting (40.5 percent), rebounding (4.8) and assists (2.3).
NUMBER TO NOTE
2— Rockets players on the roster who played for the Rockets before this season, Eric Gordon and Danuel House Jr.
INJURY/STATUS REPORT
Rockets: Guard John Wall (left knee effusion), forward David Nwaba (sprained right wrist), forward Danuel House Jr. (sprained right ankle), guard Eric Gordon (strained right groin) and guard Dante Exum (right calf strain) are out. Suns: Center Frank Kaminsky (health and safety protocols) and forward Abdel Nader (sore right knee) are out.