Expect a low-scoring game when the Houston Rockets (27-28) and Phoenix Suns (14-40) square off at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The game begins at 9:30 pm ET on Friday, Feb. 19 and can be seen on RSW and FAZ.
The Suns are expecting better results after their 112-104 loss to the Warriors in their last game. Despite the loss, Tyson Chandler earned his ninth double-double this season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 116-103 loss to the Trail Blazers in their last outing. Houston still lost despite the best efforts of James Harden, who recorded his 14th double-double of the season with 34 points and 11 assists.
The aggressive Rockets offense may see plenty of chances from the free throw line in this one. They rank first in the league at getting to the stripe (free throw attempt rate of 35.6), while Phoenix gets whistled quite a bit (giving up a 27th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 31.1).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Rockets won the first game 111-105. Corey Brewer was the game’s top overall scorer with 24 points.
The Suns have gone 14-40 Straight Up (SU) and 21-33 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 14-40 SU and 21-33 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Suns are one of the best in the NBA in terms of field-goal percentage, shooting a stellar .364 from beyond the arc.
On the other side, the Rockets have 27-28 SU and 22-32-1 ATS records. Against the Western Conference, Houston is 27-28 SU and 22-32-1 ATS. Offensively, they average 105.5 points per game on the road, which is fourth in the league. The Rockets are an excellent long-range shooting team with 606 three-point shots made (11.0 per game), ranking second in the NBA. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Rockets are the best in the league with an average of 9.9 steals per game. A large part of Houston’s game is creating turnovers and turning them into points. They are scoring 18.3 points per game off turnovers, which ranks fourth in the league.
The Rockets’ win over Phoenix in their last clash brought their SU record in the past 10 games to 7-3. At 5-5, they are even ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou
Notes
Houston ranks sixth in points per game with 105.0, while Phoenix ranks 28th in points allowed with an average of 106.8 given up.
Houston puts up an average of 105.5 points per away game (ranked fourth). Phoenix ranks 24th in points allowed per home game with 104.3.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Rockets are 11-3 on the season. When the Suns score fewer than 100, they are an underachieving 1-25.
Houston is a subpar 16-25 when it gives up 100 or more points. Phoenix has a 13-15 record when it hits triple digits.
The Suns have a defensive rating of 107.8 (ranked 29th), while the Rockets rank eighth for their offensive rating of 104.9.
The Houston Rockets average a field goal percentage of 44.3% this season. The Phoenix Suns have an underachieving record of 7-32 when opponents have a FG% of 44.3% or greater.
On average, the Phoenix Suns attempt 24.0 three point field goals per game and the Houston Rockets attempt 31.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Phoenix has a subpar record of 7-22, while Houston is 23-24.
The Phoenix Suns rank 29th with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.27. The Houston Rockets have a higher A/TO (1.39), ranking 25th.
The Phoenix Suns rebound 43.0 times per game and are ranked 18th. Ranked 22nd, the Houston Rockets rebound 42.6 times per game.
Phoenix is ranked 22nd in defensive rebounds, while Houston ranks seventh in offensive rebounds.
Houston is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.6% (ranked sixth). Phoenix has a poor record of 9-24 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.6% or greater.
