GAME: Houston Rockets(26-20) at Phoenix Suns(17-32) LOCATION: American West Arena TIME: 9PM EST PROBABLE STARTERS SF Jim Jackson/Casey Jacobsen PF Kelvin Cato/Shawn Marion C Yao Ming/Jake Voshkul PG Mark Jackson/Leandro Barbosa SG Cuttino Mobley/Joe Johnson TEAM LEADERS Houston: Steve Francis: 16.6 ppg Yao Ming: 9.2 rpg Steve Francis: 5.9 apg Phoenix: Shawn Marion: 18.7 ppg Shawn Marion: 9.5 rpg Howard Eisley: 4.5 apg KEYS TO THE GAME FOR HOUSTON 1: Stop JJ: Joe Johnson has simply been on fire since the Marbury trade. Mobley would have a tough job guarding him. Johnson is a very quick player and explosive once he gets into the lane. The Rockets' big men will have to be quick to help when JJ breaks in. 2: Get Over The Suspension Of Francis: The leading scorer and passer for the Rockets will miss this game due to a recently-imposed suspension. Mark Jackson will look to start. Whether he can do a good job of making up for the loss will be vital for the Rockets to win. Jackson, as all of us know, is one of the best passers in the league but also one of the slowest. If he can regain his old touch and score 10 points and net 8 assists, I don't think that Francis, the all-star, will be sorely missed. 3: Take Shots Only When You Need To: In their recent loss to the Nets, the Rockets shot only 43% from the field. They did not select their shots well and elected to do it by themselves when an extra pass could have found a wide-open teammate. That can't happen tonight. GAME OUTLOOK Just by comparing the teams' records, one would think that this would be a lopsided win for the away team. However, the Rockets' co-captain will not play after being suspended for one game after missing the team's flight to Phoenix. Without Francis, the Rockets will have to look for Yao Ming and Cuttino Mobley to split up the scoring load. I expect Kelvin Cato to play a lot less minutes because he would have a hard time guarding the quicker Shawn Marion. Mo Taylor will get the bulk of minutes at power forward and I expect him to draw a lot of double teams and free up the Rockets' outside shooters. All in all, this game will prove to be a challenge and a test for the Rockets. This game will be vital for both teams as both are on losing streaks. The Rockets are being force to play without their leader and it will be interesting to see how they fare. GAME PREDICTION Rockets 90 Suns 83
The Rockets received a 20 point spanking tonight. They couldn't stop fourth quarter maniac, Joe Johnson would was 2 boards away from a triple double, dropping a big 27 on them, and Marion, who did even more damage with a 31 point night. Thr Rockets definitely struggled without Steve Francis, as Mark Jackson only went 1-7 for 2 points, Scott Padget was terrible and Yao wasn't spectacular, either.
Just as we were looking to snatch the 6th seed in the West, we go on a four game losing streak. The Rockets were spanked by the Suns 99-79 as the formidable defense we've seen many times this season vanished, and the explosive offense we had been treated to many times broke down. Mark Jackson was disappointing in his first start as a Rocket, and Maurice Taylor looked out of sync. Even Clarence Weatherspoon netted 28 minutes, 10 points and 8 rebounds. This was a loss no Rockets fan would want to see.
