Suns defense woeful in blowout loss vs Rockets

Defense. What has been a problem for years for the Phoenix Suns stuck out like a sore thumb yet again when facing the Houston Rockets. Defense.

There is no shame in losing to the Houston Rockets. They are a perennial NBA championship contender, and field two top-15 players in the league.

All Suns can ask for is to watch a reasonably competitive game. It was apparent after the first quarter it probably was not going that way after giving up 45 points.

Then you check the score at halftime to find out the Suns led by interim coach Jay Triano, allowed 90 points at halftime.

To put this in perspective, that was more than what the Warriors scored and two points less than what the Celtics scored in the previous game.

Before this gets broken down, let’s look at the positives.

In Greg Monroe’s debut with the team as a part of the Eric Bledsoe trade, he played well! Putting up a double-double of 20 points and 11 rebounds. He was active in the game early on and provided a breath of fresh air from the center position. Something the Suns haven’t had in a while. Of he remains with the team long term, hopefully he can build on this.

Also, how about Troy Daniels! He provided some punch off the bench scoring 23 and shooting 7-13 from three. He led all scorers and was one of the bright spots in an eventful 2^nd half.

Finally, point Booker was also a sight to see as he was one assists away from his career high with 10 dimes. He too ended up with a double-double adding 18 points.

With that said, on to the bad news.

First of all, the Suns ended up with 116 points only to lose by nearly 30. James Harden took off for 48 and 7.and six other Rockets’ scored in double figures including 24 from Ryan Anderson. The Suns just looked outmatched and had no answer for the Rockets.

There were numerous times where the defense just fell apart at the slightest sign of pick and roll/pop action. As a result, teams like the Rockets will make you pay.

Especially relevant in this game, three-point barrage was an eye sore. The Rockets shot 47.7% from beyond the arc. It was a combination of the Rockets having a hot night and the Suns being slow to close out and get to their man on the outside.

Therefore, everyone gets a piece of the blame for this loss. From Chriss and his foul troubles. Booker and his poor defensive showing. James and his poor shooting. Bender and his ghost like production. Not one player for the Suns had a positive plus minus for the night.

Next: Player of the Week: Devin Booker

Chris Paul said after the game that their (Rockets), defense was horrible. You don’t say? And to be fair, their defense was not good either. With that said, if theirs was horrible, I don’t know what word I can use to describe what the Suns.

The Suns play the Lakers again on Friday night. The response in that game will be the key.