by Chuck Sommers
Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022
Time: 9 p.m. ET
Venue: Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Where to watch: BSAZ, ATTSN-SW
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: NL
WynnBet: Suns -15
BetOnline: Suns -15
Season record
Rockets: 15-41
Suns: 46-10
Will Rogers has gone an impressive 26-11-0 in the last 30 days in the NBA. What's to come for this week? Catch Will's plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Rockets - Suns preview and analysis
Recent form
Rockets: lost five straight
Suns: won 17 of 18
Rockets analysis
The struggle bus continues to chug along for the Houston Rockets. It's one of those buses that just goes nonstop through every stop sign and red light, rolling downhill with the shift in neutral. That sounds like something straight out of Twisted Metal.
Anyone remember that game? That was great. I remember this time I had the old school PlayStation, and man, let me tell you, I played the hell out of that game.
Anyway, basketball game. Right. The Rockets have not been good this year. That's to the surprise of absolutely no one when full-on rebuilds are taking place. Wins have not been easy to come by and it's been just as bad of late. The Rockets are coming off a 135-101 loss at the Utah Jazz on Monday.
Kenyon Martin Jr. led the way with 16 points, but the team defense was bad as it has been all season. The Rockets have given up at least 120 points in four of their last five losses.
"They were getting downhill on their drives. They were offensive rebounding. They had 10 offensive rebounds in the first half," Houston coach Stephen Silas said. "Once they were getting into the paint, it was the kicks to the 3-point shooters."
Houston can be entertaining in spurts, mostly when Jalen Green is throwing down highlight-reel dunks and Kevin Porter Jr. is making clutch shots. Outside of that, there hasn't been much to be excited about. There's only so much one can watch Christian Wood and think he's a player to be relied on every day.
The Rockets are about a couple years away, and we don't even know if it really is a couple years.
Suns analysis
The complete opposite can be said about the Phoenix Suns. They're just destroying worlds and not giving up much in the loss ledger count.
And leave it to the Suns to get the Rockets on the second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix won for the 17th time in 18 games on Tuesday with a 103-96 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, with four starters scoring in double figures led by Devin Booker's 26 points.
Chris Paul also had 17 points to go with 14 assists, as well as hitting some clutch baskets against his former team. Remember in the old days when Paul was a member of the Clippers? Pepperidge Farm remembers, and now you want a nice pack of Milanos or whatever they're called.
Mikal Bridges also had 19 points and nine rebounds, which means we need to discuss the depth of this roster. It's insane. It was insane in Phoenix's run to the Finals, but man, you get another year of this group after a deep playoff run? How can you not like the Suns right now to be the title favorites?
The Golden State Warriors have slightly fallen off the pace, while the Suns have continued to keep this historic pace up. Defensively, this group has the potential to be something special. Phoenix held the Clippers to one point in the final 2:53 in the win.
Prediction
The Suns are one of those weird teams where they're as dominant on the books as they are on the court. Phoenix is 32-24 against the spread this season, which means 14 of their wins did not come ATS. That's just wild and things are not meant to make sense at times. The Suns have also been good against losing teams, going 6-1 ATS in their last seven against teams with a winning percentage below .400. Given the Rockets' struggles, I don't think you should be overthinking this one. Give me Phoenix in a rout. Suns by 18
Betting trends
The Rockets are 13-27 ATS following three straight games of shooting 47 percent or higher.
The Rockets are 2-11 ATS after giving up 55 percent shooting the previous game.
The Rockets are 29-56 ATS following a loss by 10 points or more.
The Suns are 63-38 ATS after winning four or five of their last six.
Projected starting lineup
Rockets:
PG: Kevin Porter Jr.
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Eric Gordon
PF: Jae'Sean Tate
C: Christian Wood
Suns:
PG: Chris Paul
SG: Devin Booker
SF: Mikal Bridges
PF: Jae Crowder
C: Deandre Ayton
Statistical leaders
Rockets:
Points: Christian Wood -- 17.6
Rebounds: Christian Wood -- 10.2
Assists: Jae'Sean Tate -- 3.1
Suns:
Points: Devin Booker -- 25.5
Rebounds: Deandre Ayton -- 10.3
Assists: Chris Paul -- 10.7
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Houston Rockets - Phoenix Suns prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
