Keagan Smith dives into his pick and prediction for the Houston Rockets vs. Phoenix Suns game on Tuesday\u2019s NBA slate.<\/p>\n
The final days of the NBA regular season have arrived. On Tuesday night, the slate wraps up with a late-late-late contest between the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns as Kevin Durant and Jalen Green take on their former franchises. Get a pre-game nap in and pour a cup of coffee \u2014 this 11 p.m. ET matchup will be one to stay up for!<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a Rockets vs. Suns prediction and pick on DraftKings Sportsbook for this Tuesday nightcap.<\/p>\n
Rockets vs. Suns prediction, preview<\/p>\n
Houston Rockets<\/p>\n
The Rockets are a polarizing bunch at 49-29, but they\u2019ve found their best stretch of play in recent weeks at 8-2 over their last 10 games with a six-game winning streak. A +5.0 NETRTG falls seventh in the NBA and they operate at second-to-last in pace, too.<\/p>\n
Defense is the name of the game for Houston, allowing the fourth-fewest PPG at 110.0 and ranking eighth in DEFRTG. The Rox are first in rebounding with 47.1 per game, and while they\u2019re 11th in DREB, they\u2019re first in OREB. Those boards are the crux of the attack, which averages 114.8 PPG but sits ninth in OFFRTG. Despite being 21st in assists and 27th in AST\/TO ratio, they\u2019re pretty efficient with a 47.8% FG% and a 36.7% 3P%. <\/p>\n
The Rockets are almost entirely healthy on the injury report. Kevin Durant\u2019s 25.9 PPG are a team best and he\u2019ll be just shy of a 50\/40\/90 season with a 51.9% FG% and 41.0% 3P%, falling short with an 87.7% FT%. Alperen Sengun averages 20.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists and has looked more like himself as of late. Amen Thompson brings all-around production of 17.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists, plus elite defensive abilities. Jabari Smith Jr, Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason all average double-digit points with heavy minutes.<\/p>\n
Phoenix Suns<\/p>\n
The Suns have defied expectations all season at 43-25 and previously clinched a postseason appearance in Jordan Ott\u2019s first year as head coach. They\u2019re only 4-6 over their last 10, but the overall results speak for themselves with a +1.6 NETRTG that ranks 14th in the league. They\u2019re also 24th in pace.<\/p>\n
Much like Houston\u2019s approach, the defense is key to success in Phoenix. The Suns allow 111.3 PPG, seventh fewest, and sit 10th in DEFRTG. They\u2019re a disruptive bunch with the third-most opponent turnovers and third-most steals per game in total, but fall 20th in rebounding with 43.0 a night. However, they\u2019re also fourth in OREB, which should prove interesting thanks to those similarities in strengths between these teams. Phoenix averages 112.9 PPG and is 15th in OFFRTG, shooting 45.5% from the field but 36.3% from three. The Suns are fifth in both 3PA and 3PM per game.<\/p>\n
The injury report is clean for Phoenix outside of Haywood Highsmith. Devin Booker\u2019s 25.8 PPG are a team best along with his 6.0 assists per outing, and Dillon Brooks brings a career-high 20.4 PPG as his primary running mate. Jalen Green posts 18.4 PPG with additional scoring punch, and Grayson Allen also averages 16.8 PPG himself. Collin Gillespie and Mark Williams provide double-digit scoring, with the latter contributing a team-best 8.0 rebounds per game.<\/p>\n
Rockets vs. Suns pick, best bet<\/p>\n
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Rockets as -1.5 favorites tonight on the road with -108 odds on the Moneyline. The Suns are listed at -112 odds on the ML with the game total set at 221.5 combined points.<\/p>\n