Houston Rockets Vs. Phoenix Suns: Game 32: Sneak Peek Analysis
What a tough loss for the Houston Rockets this past Friday.
What a tough loss for the Houston Rockets this past Friday.
Despite the team being within striking distance of being able push toward taking the lead and winning the game, the Memphis Grizzlies continued to push them back.
That’s with the stellar defense that they play — their reputation for having the league’s No. 1 defense is well-deserved.
They did what I expected — the team got in their faces, kept aggravating them and took the three-point line away enough for us to be ineffective in staying in the game.
Although we made some brilliant strides down the stretch, it just wasn’t enough to get over the hump.
We’ll still be seeing the Grizzlies a lot moving forward so this well give the Rockets plenty of opportunity to make adjustments to beat this team.
I know they can do it.
Tonight, they’ll take on the 9-21 Phoenix Suns but this time on their home court here in H-Town.
I’d expect more of the same as the Rockets demolished them some five days ago but if they take them lightly, this may be a grind-out.
More than likely, it won’t be.
So who’s leading the charge for the Suns?
Eric Bledsoe leads the team in scoring (20.0 PPG) and dimes (5.5 APG). Tyson Chandler is the top board-getter (11.5 RPG) while T.J. Warren is in charge of the steals (1.6 SPG) and Alex Len is the top shot-blocker (1.6 BPG).
Let’s talk about what the Suns do well.
They love to have the basketball in their hands. The Suns are 2nd in the NBA as far as PACE, averaging 103.4 possessions per game.
They’re a decent rebounding team. The Suns are 6th in defensive rebound rate (77.8), they’re 9th in offensive rebound rate (25.3). They’re also tied for 9th — with the Golden State Warriors — in rebound rate, taking down 50.8 percent of missed shots.
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Injuries:
Clint Capela collided into Karl-Anthony Towns Dec. 17th against the T-Wolves. He seemed to be in tremendous pain and could not walk on his own power to locker room.
It’s apparent that he has a minor fracture of his fibula and is expected to be out at least four weeks. Nene will have some big shoes to fill as Capela heals but the Rockets can press on without him.
It would be nice for the Rockets to make a deal for his replacement but I think the depth of our bench could fill his void.
There are no injuries to report for the Phoenix Suns.
Source(s): Houston Rockets
Matchups to Watch:
Prediction:
118-99 in a Houston Rockets’ win!
The Rockets are back at home to take on the Suns at Toyota Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST.
The game will be televised on ROOT Sports Southwest and broadcast on SportsTalk 790 AM (KBME), Sirius/XM/SiriusXM 217 (Internet 890) and La Ranchera 101.7 FM (KNTE) & 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!