Preview: Suns Face Scrappy Rockets

The Suns look to get back to .500 on the season when the Rockets play host.

The Phoenix Suns (14-15) are looking to finally get back on track tonight, as they travel to face the Houston Rockets (15-13) as part of a quick one-game road trip.

The Rockets - behind new head coach Ime Udoka - have overseen a renaissance of sorts. The franchise underwent one of the worst three-year stretches of basketball that any team in NBA history had gone through behind previous head coach Stephen Silas. 

The result was the firing of Silas, the hiring of Udoka, and free agent signings including Fred VanVleet to bolster the roster.

The early results of the experiment have largely been positive, with Houston sitting at 15-13 and in a play-in spot, which is a true 180 degree improvement from the product that has been placed on the court since 2020.

Three things to watch for going into tonight's contest:

Rockets' Performance of Late:

The Rockets are 6-4 in their last 10 games. That 10-game stretch includes a four-game winning streak and a three-game losing streak. 

The Rockets pulled out impressive victories over the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, and New Orleans Pelicans.

They also suffered fairly close losses to the Milwaukee Bucks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Indiana Pacers. 

Houston's offense has also performed much better in the recent stretch, having several scoring outputs of over 120 points.

Alperen Sengun has lead the squad in scoring and rebounding in each of their last three games as well.

Suns Key to Win Game: Transition Ball

The Rockets' plan of attack on most nights is built around a disciplined team effort on defense and a slower-paced attack on offense built around Alperen Sengun, who will be mentioned later. 

The Suns are currently dead last in offensive pace - an issue that was supposed to be fixed with the departure of Chris Paul over the summer.

The Suns must correct that shortcoming tonight if they want to win. 

While Houston is typically great at getting back in transition defensively, Devin Booker is simply one of the best NBA players in space. Eric Gordon has proven the ability to attack behind his underrated first step and strength when attacking the hoop, too. 

Phoenix has to look to attack early and often in the shot clock and make Houston play outside of their comfort zone. 

Player to Watch: Alperen Sengun

Sengun has made the leap from a somewhat disappointing sophomore season to becoming the clear best player on the Rockets and a potential All-Star selection. 

The Rockets big man is also a key figure in the most improved player race.

He is averaging 20.8 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 5.2 APG, and 1.8 stocks (steals + blocks). 

Sengun's all-around ability on offense - particularly his post game and passing ability - has helped boost the Rockets offense from near league-worst to league average. 

The most impressive part of Sengun's improvement is his seamless fit in Houston's new defensive system. Sengun will never be an exceptional individual defender, but he has been a pleasant surprise as a team-based defender. 

The Rockets' defense has been hovering around the top five in the NBA all season, and much of that is due to Sengun's fit in the new coach's system. 

The Suns and Rockets are set to tip off shortly after 6:00 PM Arizona time and will be broadcast locally on AZ Family.