The Phoenix Suns will bring a loaded backcourt to Houston on Wednesday in the form of Chris Paul and Devin Booker, who were each All-Stars in 2020. Unfortunately for the Rockets, half of their duo of former All-Star guards remains sidelined for the time being.
For a fourth consecutive game, John Wall is listed as out due to left knee soreness. The Rockets will still have Victor Oladipo, who registered 32 points and 9 assists in his Houston debut on Monday, but Wall will be replaced in the starting lineup by Eric Gordon.
Danuel House Jr., who typically starts at small forward, also remains sidelined due to a mandatory self-isolation period. Veteran guard Sterling Brown is questionable with lower right leg soreness.
In the 2020-21 season, Houston’s best All-Star candidate is emerging big man Christian Wood, who is averaging 23.8 points (53.6%) and 10.7 rebounds per game this season. To beat an improving team like the Suns, Wood will likely need to win his matchup against DeAndre Ayton, who anchors the interior defense for Phoenix. Drafted No. 1 overall in 2018, Ayton ranks fifth in the NBA in rebounds at 11.7 per game.
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Here’s when you should tune in to see Wednesday’s game, which has a later tipoff time than usual due to the national television broadcast.
- Date: Wednesday, Jan. 20
- Time: 8:30 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: ESPN
- Live stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (4-8)
- Guard: Victor Oladipo
- Guard: Eric Gordon
- Forward: David Nwaba
- Forward: PJ Tucker
- Center: Christian Wood
Phoenix Suns (7-5)
- Guard: Chris Paul
- Guard: Devin Booker
- Forward: Cam Johnson
- Forward: Mikal Bridges
- Center: DeAndre Ayton
The Rockets enter having lost four of their last five games, including a 125-120 setback in Chicago on Monday. At the moment, Houston has the second-worst record in the Western Conference. Meanwhile, the Suns also lost on Monday by a four-point margin in Memphis, though they still rank No. 4 overall in the tightly packed West standings.
There may have been some rust involved for Phoenix, since their previous three games were all postponed due to COVID-19 issues. They’ll look to shake that off Wednesday night at Toyota Center, in a game the Rockets need to win as they work to begin turning their season around.
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