http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/Rockets_lo...-205377-34.html<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>DALLAS -- Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy left North Texas Tuesday night with less than 24 hours to prepare his team for the NBA's quickest lineup.He didn't bother complaining about it."We play Phoenix in the second game of a lot back-to-backs this year, right?" Van Gundy said. "But you know what I've figured out about them? There's no good time to face them. Rested or not."Who could argue with that logic?Less than 24 hours after leaving Dallas with a setback to the defending Western Conference champions, the Rockets will host the high-flying Phoenix Suns Wednesday night at Toyota Center.The Suns (29-8) might not own the NBA's best record like the Mavericks, but they're hardly far off pace. Behind reigning two-time MVP Steve Nash, Phoenix arrives in Houston riding a 10-game winning streak and owns the NBA's second-best record. The Suns are also once again leading the league in scoring (111.4 points) and field goal percentage (49.7 percent).How's that for a quick turnaround?"It's doesn't get any easier in the West," Rockets point guard Rafer Alston said. "We've just got to get our rest and get ready. It's going to be a track meet all night with them."The Suns have been nearly as hot as the Mavs over the past two months.Since opening the season with a 1-5 record, Phoenix has reeled off 28 wins in their past 31 games. The Suns set a franchise record with 15 wins along the way.Nash is once again having an MVP-caliber season as he is on pace to become the first players since Majic Johnson and Kevin Johnson to average 19 points and 11 assists in a season since 1989-90. Amare Stoudemire has also returned strong after missing the past season with a knee injury, averaging 18.1 points and 9.1 rebounds.Van Gundy credited the Suns' overlooked defense for being a major reason why Phoenix is once again among the Western Conference's elite teams."No one wants to talk about it, but their defense is very good," Van Gundy said. "They lead the league in three-point field goal defense."The Rockets will have to prepare for that lineup after suffering a 109-96 loss to the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night.Despite getting 45 points from Tracy McGrady, Houston couldn't hang on to a 13-point lead in the third quarter and missed an opportunity to score a win over one of the elite teams in the Western Conference.McGrady and Co. will get another opportunity against one of the NBA's best with the Suns coming to town."In order for us to be mentioned with the best teams in this league and in the West, this is a team that we got to beat," McGrady said. "It's a great challenge for us and everybody knows how good Phoenix and Dallas are. We're right there behind them. We've got to go out and beat those types of teams. Until we do that, we'll always be left out when they mention the best teams in the West."</div>Records: Houston (25-13), Suns (29-8) Day/Time: Wednesday, 7:30 PM CST<u>Projected Starting Lineups</u><span style="color:#FF0000"><u>Houston Rockets</u></span>PG: <span style="color:#FF0000">Rafer Alston</span>SG: <span style="color:#FF0000">Tracy McGrady</span>SF: <span style="color:#FF0000">Shane Battier</span>PF: <span style="color:#FF0000">Juwan Howard</span>C: <span style="color:#FF0000">Dikembe Mutombo</span><u>Injury Update</u>Yao Ming (fractured tibia), Bonzi Wells (sore back) and Bob Sura (knee/back) are out for the Rockets.<span style="color:#FFA500"><u>Phoenix Suns</u></span>PG: <span style="color:#FFA500">Steve Nash</span>SG: <span style="color:#FFA500">Raja Bell</span>SF: <span style="color:#FFA500">Boris Diaw</span>PF: <span style="color:#FFA500">Shawn Marion</span>C: <span style="color:#FFA500">Amare Stoudemire</span><u>Injury Update</u>No injuries for the Suns.
This is definitely a schedule loss for Houston. After a running game against Dallas yesterday Houston will be too fatigued to run with Phoenix.
I doubt Houston will be able to play well today. They had a tough game against the mavs, and now have to play the other bst team in the league. Hopefully Houston can win cause in a week we face the Spurs
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>HOUSTON -- Tracy McGrady sat out the Rockets' game against Phoenix on Wednesday night because of soreness in his lower back.McGrady scored a season-high 45 points Tuesday in a 109-96 loss in Dallas. He left the game with a stiff back with 2:14 remaining, but said the injury was "nothing major."McGrady said Wednesday he would be ready for the Rockets' next game, against Denver on Saturday."I'm not concerned about my back at all," McGrady said. "It tightened on me last night and we're just taking the precaution to not go out and try to rush back. I have a few days to rest, get some treatment and I'll be back Saturday."McGrady, 27, sat out seven games in December with back spasms. He had averaged 28.6 points per game since returning, topping 30 points eight times. The six-time All-Star missed 34 games last season because of recurring back problems."This is different than what I've been dealing with in the past," McGrady said.McGrady carried the Rockets to a 9-3 record after Yao Ming broke a bone under his right knee on Dec. 23 against the Los Angeles Clippers. Yao is expected to be out until late February.The Rockets are 1-8 without both Yao and McGrady.</div>http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2734283Owned. Oh well, It's good. We were going to lose anyways, and McGrady can rest.
And that's why, it took less than 3 minutes to turn the 15-point deficit into a 1 point lead but the Rockets are leading by 3 at the half.
