Rockets at Suns
The Houston Rockets made some noise in advance of Thursday's NBA trade deadline as they showed confidence in forging ahead with a smaller lineup. That scheme continued to pay dividends in a big win at the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday and the Rockets will try to stretch their current winning streak to five when they visit the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
Russell Westbrook carried the load in Los Angeles with 41 points on 17-of-28 shooting and Houston closed the 121-111 win on a 19-5 run to move to within 5 1/2 games of the first-place Lakers in the Western Conference. The Suns open a two-game homestand looking to snap a four-game losing streak, including Wednesday's 116-108 loss at Detroit in which three Phoenix starters scored at least 22 points but received little help elsewhere. Phoenix, which has lost 13 straight to Houston, stayed quiet at the deadline as a rumored deal for Detroit guard Luke Kennard fizzled and nothing else emerged. "Ultimately, the thing you can control the most is how your players develop and how you play," Suns general manager James Jones told The Athletic about the lack of trades at the deadline. "So it just refocues and re-centers my thoughts that we need to focus on how we grow and how we play."
TIME: 9 p.m. ET. TV: AT&T SportsNet Southwest, FS Arizona
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (33-18): While Westbrook was on the mark, James Harden finished with 14 points - more than 21 below his NBA-leading average - while making 3-of-10 shots. Robert Covington, acquired in the massive four-team deal that shipped center Clint Capela from Houston to Atlanta, provided a big boost off the bench with 14 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks. "He's amazing man," Westbrook told TNT postgame of Covington. "We're confident he can defend at a high level, shoot the heck out of the basketball as he did tonight. I'm just happy he's on our team."
ABOUT THE SUNS (20-31): Kelly Oubre Jr., rumored to be on the trading block amid his best season as a pro, scored a season-high 30 points on 11-of-19 shooting in Wednesday's loss. DeAndre Ayton added 26 points and 12 rebounds and the big man is averaging 23.7 points and 14.3 rebounds during a streak of three straight double-doubles. Devin Booker chipped in 22 points two nights after tying his season low with 13 on 3-of-15 shooting in a loss at Brooklyn.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Suns C Aron Baynes (hip) has missed nine games in a row.
2. Rockets SG Eric Gordon hit 5-of-8 3-pointers in Thursday's win after making 5-of-25 over his previous four games.
3. Phoenix has lost 11 straight at home to Houston since its last win April 15, 2013.