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2023-24 NBA Regular Season
Phoenix Suns v Houston Rockets
Footprint Center
Phoenix, Arizona
Sunday 3 March 2024
Tip-off at 04:00
Phoenix Suns have a fight on their hands to qualify for the playoffs in the Western Conference as they prepare to face Houston Rockets at the Footprint Center on the morning of Sunday, March 3.
The Suns (5th), New Orleans Pelicans (6th), Sacramento Kings (7th) and Dallas Mavericks (8th) are separated by just 0.5 games in the battle for the final two spots come the post-season.
Frank Vogel's team had an identical record to the Pelicans (34-24) after beating Los Angeles Lakers 123-113 on February 25 to snap a two-game losing streak.
Grayson Allen (24), Royce O'Neale (20) and Jusuf Nurkic (18) were immense against the Lakers as the trio combined for 62 points, with the Bosnian center also adding 22 rebounds and seven assists.
"Those three guys were the stars of the game tonight," Vogel acknowledged. "Grayson and Royce were six 3's each and Nurkic with 22-7 and 18 points - hell of a night.
"And guarding Anthony Davis all night and that's just a big-time performance by Nurkic."
The Rockets have been poor since the turn of the year, winning just 10 of their 27 games in the opening two months of 2024 to sit outside the play-in places, 4.5 games behind Golden State Warriors (10th).
Ime Udoka's team fell 123-110 to Oklahoma City Thunder on February 26 to suffer their seventh defeat in nine outings.
Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 20 points each against the Thunder, who went on a 16-2 run in the third quarter to gain impetus.
"They (Oklahoma City) tightened up a little bit and we didn't execute as well as we needed to," VanVleet said. "That's the way it goes sometimes.
"Obviously you have to execute better offensively to give yourself a chance. Scoring 21 in the third hurt us a little bit momentum-wise."
Phoenix Suns v Houston Rockets - Head-to-head, Regular Season
Games played: 228
Suns wins: 117
Rockets wins: 111
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