With losses in five of their first six games, the schedule doesn’t get any easier for the young Houston Rockets (1-5) as they continue a four-game road trip with Sunday night’s game at Phoenix (4-1).
The injury report doesn’t help, 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 now 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)
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, while 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).
Story continues
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Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire
