{"id":703792,"date":"2026-04-07T18:00:16","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/703792\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T18:00:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T18:00:16","slug":"brooks-cleared-jalen-green-faces-former-team-as-phoenix-pushes-for-no-6-seed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/703792\/","title":{"rendered":"Brooks Cleared, Jalen Green Faces Former Team as Phoenix Pushes for No. 6 Seed"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Phoenix Suns return home on Tuesday night as they host the Houston Rockets in an important Western Conference matchup.<\/p>\n

With the regular season nearing its end, Phoenix is fighting to climb the standings and avoid the play-in tournament. The Rockets, meanwhile, arrive in Phoenix with strong momentum and a playoff berth already secured.<\/p>\n

Game Details<\/p>\n

CategoryDetailsDateApril 7, 2026Time8:00 PMVenueMortgage Matchup Center, PhoenixMatchupPhoenix Suns vs Houston Rockets<\/p>\n

The matchup carries extra storylines, including a reunion moment for Jalen Green, who will face his former team for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent Kevin Durant to Houston and Green to Phoenix.<\/p>\n

Injury Report and Team Updates<\/p>\n

Phoenix enters the game with a mostly healthy roster, though one rotation player will miss the matchup.<\/p>\n

Player \/ TeamStatusDetailsHaywood HighsmithOutRight knee injury managementDillon BrooksAvailableTechnical foul rescinded; avoided suspensionJalen Green<\/a> (Suns)ActiveFirst game vs former teamSteven AdamsOutLeft ankle surgeryFred VanVleetOutRight knee repair<\/p>\n

Houston continues to play well despite missing key players, entering the game on a six-game winning streak.<\/p>\n

Suns Trying to Avoid Season Sweep<\/p>\n

Phoenix will also try to avoid a season sweep against Houston. The Rockets have already defeated the Suns three times this season.<\/p>\n

Their most recent meeting came on January 5, when Kevin Durant delivered a dramatic moment for Houston.<\/p>\n

Durant hit a go-ahead three-pointer with just 1.1 seconds remaining to secure a 100\u201397 win for the Rockets.<\/p>\n

Key Performers in Last Meeting<\/p>\n

PlayerTeamPointsDevin BookerSuns27Dillon BrooksSuns15Royce O\u2019NealeSuns15Kevin DurantRockets26Jabari Smith Jr.Rockets17Amen ThompsonRockets17<\/p>\n

Tuesday\u2019s game will also mark Durant\u2019s return to the Phoenix arena for the first time since the trade that reshaped both teams.<\/p>\n

Western Conference Standings Pressure<\/p>\n

The Suns currently sit at the No. 7 spot in the Western Conference standings.<\/p>\n

Their goal is to move into the No. 6 seed to avoid the play-in tournament. Phoenix must chase the Minnesota Timberwolves, who currently hold the final guaranteed playoff position.<\/p>\n

Every remaining game now carries major playoff implications for the Suns.<\/p>\n

Betting Odds and Game Context<\/p>\n

According to early betting markets, Houston enters the game as a slight favorite.<\/p>\n

TeamMoneyline OddsHouston Rockets-115 to -112Phoenix Suns+100 to +102<\/p>\n

Houston\u2019s strong recent form and their unbeaten record against Phoenix this season have influenced the odds.<\/p>\n

However, Phoenix has added motivation with playoff positioning at stake and the chance to respond after losing the previous meetings.<\/p>\n

Aslo Read: Dillon Brooks Cleared to Play vs Rockets as Suns Push for No. 6 Seed<\/a><\/p>\n

Key Storylines to Watch<\/p>\n

Several factors could decide the outcome of this matchup.<\/p>\n

\u2022 How Phoenix defends Kevin Durant in his return to their home arena
\u2022 Jalen Green\u2019s performance against his former team
\u2022 The Suns\u2019 urgency as they chase a higher playoff seed
\u2022 Houston\u2019s ability to maintain its six-game winning streak<\/p>\n

With playoff positioning tightening in the Western Conference, this game could prove crucial for Phoenix\u2019s postseason hopes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Phoenix Suns return home on Tuesday night as they host the Houston Rockets in an important Western…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":703793,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[7,6,2065,472,4045,604],"class_list":{"0":"post-703792","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix-suns","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-nba","10":"tag-phoenix","11":"tag-phoenix-suns","12":"tag-phoenixsuns","13":"tag-suns"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116364734797537710","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703792","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=703792"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/703792\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/703793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=703792"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=703792"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=703792"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}