The third of Thursday NBA Week 6 matches is between Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets. The game is set to commence at 12:10pm with the game to be played at Toyota Center. Home team Phoenix Suns go into the match as the favourites in the market. View our preview and teams for the game between Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets..
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When: 12:10 | Thursday 05/12/2013
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Phoenix Suns $6.40 vs Houston Rockets $1.14 at Sportsbet Australia get a $250 FREE BET on this match
Phoenix Suns $5.90 vs Houston Rockets $1.14 at Luxbet Australia get a $500 FREE BET on this match
Odds Comparison:
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
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| Phoenix Suns | 6.40 | 5.60 | 5.90 | 5.60 | 6.40 | 5.80 |
| Houston Rockets | 1.14 | 1.16 | 1.14 | 1.16 | 1.14 | 1.14 |
Teams:
Phoenix Suns
| Num | Player |
|---|---|
| 2 | Eric Bledsoe |
| 25 | Dionte Christmas |
| 1 | Goran Dragic |
| 8 | Channing Frye |
| 20 | Archie Goodwin |
| 14 | Gerald Green |
| 55 | Viacheslav Kravtsov |
| 21 | Alex Len |
| 11 | Markieff Morris |
| 15 | Marcus Morris |
| 50 | Emeka Okafor |
| 22 | Miles Plumlee |
| 3 | Ish Smith |
| 17 | P.J Tucker |
Houston Rockets:
| Num | Player | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Omer Asik | ||||||
| 2 | Patrick Beverley | ||||||
| 10 | Ronnie Brewer | ||||||
| 0 | Aaron Brooks | ||||||
| 1 | Isaiah Canaan | ||||||
| 18 | Omri Casspi | ||||||
| 33 | Robert Covington | ||||||
| 32 | Francisco Garcia | ||||||
| 13 | James Harden | ||||||
| 12 | Dwight Howard | ||||||
| 6 | Terrence Jones | ||||||
| 7 | Jeremy Lin | ||||||
| 20 | Donatas Motiejunas | ||||||
| 25 | Chandler Parsons | ||||||
| 4 | Greg Smith |
Preview:
The Houston Rockets are looking to get untracked, and a return home could be just what they need.
The Rockets go for their longest home winning streak in nearly three years when they open their season series with the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night.
Houston (13-6) was on a roll, winning five in a row and eight of nine before falling 109-103 at Western Conference-worst Utah on Monday. That was a major letdown after beating Southwest Division-leading San Antonio 112-106 on the road two days earlier.
“We just didn’t defend. We go through mental lapses where we don’t lock down on the defensive end. We gave up too many points to fight our way back,” guard James Harden said.
A return home could give the Rockets a lift.
They’re 8-2 at Toyota Center, winning six in a row while averaging 113.3 points and shooting 47.5 percent from 3-point range – almost 10 percent higher than their season mark.
Houston hasn’t put together a longer run at home since winning seven in a row March 14-April 3, 2011.
Harden will likely be key to matching that streak after totaling 68 points and 14 assists while hitting 53.7 percent from the field – 6 of 14 from long range – over the past two games. He had a season-high 37 points against the Jazz, scoring 15 in the fourth quarter.
Harden’s recent production may only continue with a meeting against the Suns (9-9). He’s averaging 29.2 points while shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range over his last six matchups.
He scored 33 in a 101-98 victory in the most recent meeting in Houston on April 9.
The Rockets have won four of five at home against Phoenix, and potentially having Chandler Parsons back could help continue that success.
The forward had 25 points against the Spurs before back spasms sidelined him Monday. He scored 24 points with seven assists while shooting 8 of 13 from the field in a 119-112 road defeat to the Suns on April 15.
Phoenix is dealing with its own struggles, falling 110-91 at Memphis on Tuesday after losing 112-104 at home to the Jazz on Saturday. The Suns will likely need an improved effort in the second half in order to avoid a third straight loss.
They blew an eight-point, halftime lead while being outscored 64-37 in the second half against the Grizzlies, shooting 36.8 percent from the floor – 3 of 14 from behind the arc.
“The second half was terrible,” coach Jeff Hornacek said. “We have to be able to fight over screens. We have to get after it. We let their guy just shove you in the back. If we have no more fight than that, what else can you do?”
Production from Eric Bledsoe, the team leader with 18.8 points per game, would certainly help. The guard had nine points while missing nine of 13 attempts from the field, including all three from long range, against Memphis.
Bledsoe’s averaging 13.7 points in three games after missing six with a bruised shin. He’s managed just 7.0 in four career visits to Houston, scoring two points in each of the last two overall meetings while with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Suns point guard Goran Dragic had 21 points and 14 assists in the April 15 meeting.
Source: www.nba.com
