Fifth straight defeat for the Suns who continue to slide in the standings! The most worrying thing is that this is the second loss in a row against the Rockets, dead last before the meeting. Deprived of Devin Booker, the former leaders of the Western Conference never led in the score, and they conceded a 7-0 entry! With Jalen Green cutting through the defense and Jabari Smith Jr hitting the mark from afar, the Rockets quickly took a 10-point lead (17-7).
Phoenix is much too static, and we have to wait for the entry of Bismack Biyombo for the team to wake up. In the dunk and especially on the counters, the pivot dominates the debates, and especially brings the Suns back into the match (29-25). But the improvement is short-lived, and the Rockets continue on a 13-0! Phoenix misses nine shots in a row and does not score a single point for five minutes. At the break, the gap is significant: +19 (54-35). To make matters worse, Deandre Ayton left his teammates after a knee-to-knee shock, and it was finally his ankle that turned on the foot of Kevin Porter Jr.
Back from the locker room, Eric Gordon crashes from afar, while Jalen Green puts on a show at the alley-oop. The gap stabilizes around 15-20 points, and the Rockets finally win 111-97, confirming their status as head cutters since they have just beaten Phoenix twice, but also Milwaukee and Philadelphia.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
The return of Stephen Silas. Vibrant public tribute to Stephen Silas, already back on the Rockets bench after the death of his father, Paul this weekend. The communion of his players around him was very touching, and the victory is all the more beautiful.
Breathless Suns. Fifth defeat in a row for Phoenix who, already deprived of Devin Booker, also lost Deandre Ayton and Cameron Payne before halftime. It is the first time under the Monty Williams era that the team has lost five games in a row.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅Alperen Sengun. The boss paints tonight with his 8th double-double of the season. The Turk proves that he can have a real presence on the rebound.
✅ Jalen Green. His aggressiveness is rewarded. He has continued to attack a very porous Suns defense, and his 11 of 12 free throws shows his concentration.
✅ Jabari Smith Jr.. His line of stats is not flamboyant but his outside address (3 of 3 from 3-pointers) and his stature weighed on the first half.
✅ ⛔Mikal Bridges. The most enterprising but also the most clumsy of the Suns with 18 points to… 4 out of 24 on shots! In the first half, he was the only one, with Biyombo, to have shown a desire to defend.
⛔ The Suns first half. Difficult to do worse for Phoenix than in the first half with an 11 of 50 shots, including 4 of 24 from 3-pointers.
THE FOLLOWING
Houston (9-18) : reception of the Heat on Thursday.
Phoenix (16-12) : Thursday trip to the Clippers.
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