The lowly Houston Rockets get set to meet the Phoenix Suns Thursday night inside the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. They tip it off at 9:00 pm. The Rockets have had a down season, while the Suns are hoping to put it all together and make a playoff run out of the Western Conference. 

This is the first of back-to-back meetings between the two teams.  Bookmaker has installed the Suns as a solid - 9.5 point favorite in this clash. 

The Rockets (25-33) have really struggled this season and they are clearly in a rebuilding stage going forward. They are just playing out the string to see which players they can move forward with and build around. 

They do not have much of an offense and it has shown in some of these recent losses as they have dropped nine out of 12 overall. They have compiled a mark of 25-33 on the season and they sit eight games under .500 on the season. 

On offense, they are led by 21-year-old center Alperen Sengun, who is scoring 21 a game while hauling down close to ten boards per contest. He has been a pleasant surprise for the Rockets in his second season and works well with teammate Jalen Green who has played the guard role really well this season. He is able to get the ball up the floor and chip in with 17 points per game to go along with 3.4 assists per night. These two look like sound building blocks for the Rockets going forward. 

The Rockets need to play a clean game in order to keep this one close, let alone have a chance at winning it. 

The Suns have a ton of talent on their roster but they have not been able to really get it going all season long. They have been plagued by the same issues this season. They have solid depth led by forward and veteran Kevin Durant, who is still capable of putting up 30 points a night. 

They have won six of nine overall and will rely on Durant to carry the load on the offensive side of the floor. 

On the season, Durant is netting around 28 a game and will look to get shooting guard Devin Booker into the offensive flow of the game too. Booker is netting close to 27 points per night and is one of the best true guards in the league. The Suns connect on close to 54% from the floor and will look to make this a high scoring affair. Houston will not be able to keep up with them.

The Suns are 3-2 in their last five games and 3-2 in their last five games against the spread. They are 13-15 in their roadgames against the number too and the totals have gone over in just one out of their last five games. The Rockets are 1-4 in their last five games and 1-4 in their last five games against the number too.