NBA: Houston Rockets vs Phoenix Suns Preview, Odds, Prediction

The sorry Houston Rockets hit the road heading for Phoenix, where they clash with the Suns. The hosts are among the top candidates for reaching Utah and getting that top spot in the West and the NBA as well. They look very firm, and are undoubtedly going to make a lot of noise in the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Rockets are ahead of one very busy summer, and we already now predict that the franchise from Texas is going to be one of the most active on the market.

Preview

Houston Rockets (14-39, +650) surprised the Dallas Mavericks a few days ago, beating Doncic and the boys, giving their fans hope that they might witness better performances in the remaining part of the year. However, they quickly got back to their routine habits, which is losing easily and frequently.

To be honest, they didn’t have many chances against the LA Clippers in Staples, 126-109, but the Rockets had to be better vs Warriors in San Francisco, 125-109. The drop in the second quarter was the reason for the failure, once Houston allowed GSW to outscore them 33-18.

John Wall had 30 points, and seven assists, shooting 11-for-19. Kelly Olynyk added 18, the same as Christian Wood, but had 11 boards, five more than the athletic center. DJ Augustin had a nice role off the bench, with 19 points in 22 minutes.

Phoenix Suns (37-15, -1000) had seven wins in a row, before losing to LA Clippers at Staples, 113-103 last Thursday. But that didn’t leave any trace on the Suns, who effortlessly trounced Washington Wizards in Arizona, 134-106.

Even though many believe that Devin Booker pulls all the strings in this team, that is not the case. The young shooting guard is the biggest weapon of Mony Williams’ side, but the brain on the floor is Chris Paul, who is handling all the matters perfectly this year.

Even though his stats aren’t amazing like before, CP is the one who leads this unit. Against the Wizards, the veteran playmaker had 13 points, 10 assists and five boards, shooting 6-for-11 from the floor. Booker dropped 27 with six assists and rebounds, while Ayton once again posted a double-double – 14 points and 10 boards.

Head to Head Games

The Suns won in both games against the Rockets. The first one was in late January, 109-103, and the second several days ago, 133-130, both at Toyota Center. Suns had a rough time in the recent victory, and if it weren’t for Devin Booker and his 36 points, things would probably be different. He scored 18 in the final period, moving his crew and being ice-cold in the essential moments.

Prediction

The host will win, that is pretty apparent, but the profits on their plain victory are too low. Meanwhile, the spread is -12.5 points, and to be honest, it is too risky to make any pick in this case. On the other hand, the line for the total number of points is 227.5, and that is, in our opinion, good for betting on over. Rockets have the majority of their players healthy and available, and the previous direct clash saw over 260 points, so why not try this.