Phoenix — Against the Houston Rockets tonight, the Phoenix Suns aim to return to their winning ways. Head coach Frank Vogel has chosen the following lineup:
Devin Booker
Eric Gordon
Grayson Allen
Kevin Durant
Jusuf Nurkic
Josh Okogie was listed on the injury report as likely due to a hip ailment, but Vogel stated that Okogie would play again.
Out of all five lineup combinations, this starting group for the Suns has played the most minutes together, creating some continuity in a Phoenix season that hasn’t offered much of it.
Though they do hope Nurkic’s presence can help after the Bosnian missed the previous two nights due to personal issues, Vogel’s team has lost their past nine out of twelve games going into tonight.
Allen scored a season-high 32 points, including eight made three-pointers, to lead the way in Monday’s loss to Dallas. For the third time this season, Phoenix’s top scorer wasn’t Booker or Durant.
“With our talent, we should be winning more games, but it is so simple to look around and feel discouraged. Although we are a young team and must learn to develop from our setbacks while maintaining a good attitude, I think we should be winning more games,” Allen remarked.
“You have to be very optimistic about the flashes that we do put together because that is truly who we are and who we can be.”
This season, the Suns have needed a lot from their role players, who haven’t done so frequently enough. The arrival of Chimezie Metu off the bench, who contributed 23 points and 19 rebounds in the defeat, was one encouraging development on Monday.
