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Game 52: Houston Rockets At Phoenix Suns Preview

By Brian K. Patterson

Mar 21, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) attempts to control the ball during the first quarter as Houston Rockets forward Josh Smith (5) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 21, 2015; Houston, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Markieff Morris (11) attempts to control the ball during the first quarter as Houston Rockets forward Josh Smith (5) defends at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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It’s almost All-Star break time and the Houston Rockets are still flirting with mediocrity as they have been all season.

They had an impressive win over the Miami Heat Tuesday night but I worry about how the Rockets will handle the 14-36 Phoenix Suns tonight.

The bad teams are the ones that concern me for the Rockets as they don’t take them all that seriously.

They better beat these guys tonight — Eric Bledsoe is done for the season and Brandon Knight might be MIA for awhile as he tends to a groin injury.

This match up will certainly favor the Rockets and they must pounce early and often to wrap this up quick and fly back home to face the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday.

Let’s hope for the best.

So who’s leading the charge for the Suns?

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Markieff Morris is the leading active scorer (10.8 PPG), the assist man (2.1 APG).  P.J. Tucker is the steals king (1.20 SPG).  Tyson Chandler is the top board-getter (8.3 RPG) and the lead shot-blocker is Alex Len (0.90 BPG).

Let’s talk about what the Suns do well.

They’re a decent defensive-rebounding team.  The Suns are ranked 10th in the league in defensive rebound rate (76.8 percent of missed shots).

They love to have the ball in their hands.  The Suns are 5th in the NBA in PACE Factor, averaging 100.1 possessions per game.

Injuries:

Terrence Jones was involved in a car accident yesterday, and as a result, will not be available to play tonight.  He has been ruled OUT.

Donatas Motiejunas was recalled from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers but will go back there to make at least two more appearances before returning back in Rockets uniform.  His return is imminent and it should likely be within the next week or so.

Sam Dekker had back surgery back in November but the 2015 first-round pick seems to be edging closer to a return.  He was seen shooting on the practice court for the first time since heading to the injured list.  This is certainly a sign of good things to come.

Montrezl Harrell has an illness and has already been ruled OUT for tonight.

Clint Capela has been battling a hip injury for the past couple of games, although he did start at center Tuesday against the Miami Heat, he is listed as QUESTIONABLE for tonight with Dwight Howard back in the fold.

There are no current injuries to report for the Phoenix Suns.

Sources:  Jenny Dial Creech/Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com.

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Three Things to Watch:

  1. Dwight Howard vs. Tyson Chandler
  2. Clint Capela/Josh Smith vs. Markieff Morris
  3. How many minutes will the deep bench get tonight?

Prediction:

108-97 in a Rockets’ win!

The Rockets hit the road to take on the Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. CST.

The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest/NBA TV and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME) and La Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.

Go Rockets!

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