When the Rockets were last playing at Toyota Center in Houston, the rebuilding squad had shown clear signs of progress. That included a game versus Monday’s opponent, the Phoenix Suns.
In recent days, however, they haven’t been able to take that success on the road. After encouraging showings vs. Phoenix (No. 2 in the Western Conference) and Dallas (No. 7), the Rockets lost by an average of 16.5 points per game in weekend defeats to the Clippers and Warriors.
Houston will also be without a key difference maker, relative to last week’s closer-than-expected loss (133-130, recap) to those Suns. Veteran guard Sterling Brown, who scored 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting (85.7% FG), is listed as out with left knee soreness. It’s the culmination of a rough scheduling stretch of three games in four nights for the Rockets, so the decision to hold Brown out could be for preventive purposes.
Rockets guard Sterling Brown out in Phoenix tomorrow with a sore left knee.
— Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) April 12, 2021
Here’s when you should tune in to see Monday’s game:
- Date: Monday, April 12
- Time: 9 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (14-39)
- Guard: Kevin Porter Jr.
- Guard: Avery Bradley
- Forward: Jae’Sean Tate
- Forward: Kelly Olynyk
- Center: Christian Wood
Phoenix Suns (37-15)
- Guard: Chris Paul
- Guard: Devin Booker
- Forward: Mikal Bridges
- Forward: Jae Crowder
- Center: DeAndre Ayton
Besides Brown, Houston’s injury report also lists Danuel House Jr. (right ankle), David Nwaba (right wrist), Dante Exum (right calf), and Eric Gordon (right groin) as out, as has been the case for some time. Phoenix is much healthier by comparison, with Abdel Nadar (out, right knee soreness) the only name listed on their official report.
When Houston took the Suns down to the wire a week ago, the Rockets leaned heavily on their top three scorers of Kevin Porter Jr., Christian Wood, and Kelly Olynyk. Each member of that trio scored at least 20 points versus Phoenix, and they combined to shoot better than 51% from the field. This week, they will be supplemented by the presence of veteran guard John Wall, who missed the prior meeting with an injury. By having both Wall and Porter Jr., that could offer Stephen Silas a better opportunity to match up with Chris Paul and Devin Booker.
Nonetheless, winning is a lot to ask for, since Houston will be facing the West’s second-best team over the 2020-21 NBA season to date.
Note: This post first appeared on Rockets Wire. Follow us on Facebook!
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