With losses in five of their first six games, the young Houston Rockets (1-5) continue a four-game road trip with Sunday night’s game at Phoenix (4-1).
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Houston, and the injury report isn’t helping, either. Since the Rockets also play Monday against the Clippers in Los Angeles as part of a back-to-back, veteran guard Eric Gordon is listed as out for injury maintenance on Sunday’s front end, as he does for half of most back-to-backs.
Rookie forward Jabari Smith Jr., who missed much of the preseason with a sprained left ankle, is listed as questionable with a sprained right ankle. Because he’s listed as questionable, this sprain doesn’t appear to be as significant as the one to his other ankle, which led to him missing nearly two weeks in early October.
Based on those issues, the Rockets almost certainly need a strong game from second-year guard Jalen Green if they want to compete with Chris Paul and Devin Booker’s Suns. Green is averaging just 14 points per game on 25.6% shooting (21.1% on 3-pointers) over his last two outings, and the Rockets badly need a resurgence.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 30
- Time: 8 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (1-5)
- Guard: Kevin Porter Jr.
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: KJ Martin
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
Phoenix Suns (4-1)
- Guard: Chris Paul
- Guard: Devin Booker
- Forward: Mikal Bridges
- Forward: Cameron Johnson
- Center: Bismack Biyombo
Projected lineups are based on each team’s latest game notes with the exception of Martin over Eric Gordon and Biyombo starting over Deandre Ayton. Both Gordon and Ayton were late additions to the injury reports for the Rockets and Suns, respectively.
Injury reports
Houston’s injury report for Sunday’s game lists Bruno Fernando (left knee soreness), TyTy Washington (left knee sprain) and Eric Gordon (right groin injury maintenance) as out. Jabari Smith Jr. is questionable (right ankle sprain). Meanwhile, Phoenix will be without Jae Crowder (not with team), Deandre Ayton (left ankle sprain) and Ish Wainright (low back pain).
