For the betting person, it doesn’t matter whether a team is eliminated or not. So long as there is a game, there is a reason to lay money on. So forget for a minute that the Phoenix Suns suck and that the Houston Rockets are resting their stars, and read on for a preview of this game along with our prediction.
The Suns will brace for impact as they are set to face league-leading Houston in a road assignment this Friday. Phoenix is 0-3 SU this season against the Rockets, which does not surprise anybody at all given Houston’s dominance and the Suns’ unparalleled mediocrity. The Suns are only 21st in the league in scoring with 103.9 points per game, and if Devin Booker and TJ Warren will sit out this game, then it’s going to be a lot harder for Phoenix to put up points on the board. Booker (hand) and Warren (knee) are the Suns’ top two scorers against the Rockets with 25.0 points and 19.7 averages, respectively, in the matchup. Assuming Booker and Warren will be kept on the sidelines, the trio of Tyler Ulis, Josh Jackson, and Troy Daniels will do most of the heavy lifting for Phoenix.
The Rockets are on cruise control this late in the season. They are the first team this season to reach 60 wins, and could add more to their total victories this Friday at home against the poor Suns. Even if guys like James Harden and Chris Paul will be held out for rest purposes, the Rockets are deep enough to handle a team like Phoenix that looks more like a guest G League team in the NBA. As of this writing, Harden and Clint Capela are ruled out for Wednesday’s game against the Chicago Bulls for rest purposes, so the same could be expected of them this Friday in the Suns game. Chris Paul is also probable against the Bulls. There is simply little reason to expose the Rockets’ key players to injury risks against teams that they could metaphorically knock out with one hand. The Rockets have averaged 113.5 points against the Suns this season, and are 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games against Phoenix.
