Led by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, the star-studded Phoenix Suns are 14-5 in their last 19 games. The young Houston Rockets don’t have nearly the same star power, but they’re hoping to fix that over the years through internal development.
So, for talented guard and wing prospects Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore, Friday’s matchup offers an opportunity to match up against some of the elites at their positions.
Due to a quirk in the NBA’s 2023-24 scheduling matrix, it’s also the first of three matchups between the Rockets and Suns in less than a week. The other two will take place next week in Phoenix.
Both the Rockets (24-31) and Suns (33-23) will be on the second night of a back-to-back in different cities. Houston fell on Thursday night in New Orleans, and Phoenix lost at Dallas.
When and How to Watch
- Date: Friday, Feb. 23
- Time: 7 p.m. Central
- TV Channel: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free in Houston markets)
Probable starting lineups
Houston Rockets (24-31)
- Guard: Fred VanVleet
- Guard: Jalen Green
- Forward: Dillon Brooks
- Forward: Jabari Smith Jr.
- Center: Alperen Sengun
Phoenix Suns (33-23)
- Guard: Devin Booker
- Guard: Eric Gordon
- Forward: Grayson Allen
- Forward: Kevin Durant
- Center: Jusuf Nurkic
Injury reports
Neither team is required to issue Friday’s injury report until a few hours before Friday’s tipoff, owing to the back-to-back.
Houston’s injury report for Thursday listed Steven Adams (right knee PCL surgery) and Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management) as out, while Reggie Bullock (lower back pain) was questionable. Nate Hinton and Jermaine Samuels Jr. were in the G League.
Phoenix listed Damion Lee (right meniscus surgery) as out, while Bradley Beal (left hamstring tightness) was questionable.
Beal ultimately did not play, with Frank Vogel expressing doubts as to his availability for Friday. Bullock was upgraded to available.
Suns G Bradley Beal (hamstring) won’t play vs. Mavs tonight. Coach Frank Vogel said Beal is “unlikely” to play tomorrow in Houston.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) February 22, 2024
Feb. 23 uniform choices
- Rockets: White City Edition
- Suns: Purple City Edition
Here are the #Rockets uni records coming out of the #NBAAllStar Break. pic.twitter.com/Ne7uaeEIMU
— Rockets Tracker 🚀 (@RocketsTracker) February 20, 2024
Latest interviews
#Rockets vs Pelicans tonight on SCHN
Before tonight's game Ime Udoka gave and update on Tari Eason and talked the team's push to make the play-in tournament
Our @HoustonRockets game coverage begins at 6:30PM on the Pregame Show with Kevin, Calvin & Gerald pic.twitter.com/pcCbxFjut5
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) February 22, 2024
