After Sunday’s big win over Milwaukee, the young and rebuilding Houston Rockets have suddenly won four straight games within their friendly home confines of Toyota Center.
Can they keep that momentum rolling when another 2022-23 NBA title contender comes to town? We’ll find out when former Rockets star Chris Paul leads the veteran-laden Phoenix Suns into town for the second game of Houston’s season-high seven-game homestand.
Jalen Green and the Rockets stunned Devin Booker and the Suns two weeks ago in Phoenix, rallying from a 16-point deficit in the second half to capture a statement victory. In that game, Paul wasn’t available due to injury, and it’s possible the Suns were overlooking a relatively unproven Houston group with a poor record at the time.
That shouldn’t be the case Tuesday, with Phoenix looking to make amends for its earlier loss to the Rockets. That loss started a stretch of five losses in six games for the Suns, including a pair of emotional losses last weekend to New Orleans.
Unlike the first game, the Suns will have Paul. However, they will not have Booker, who is sidelined by left hamstring tightness.