Houston +6½ over PHOENIX
The Phoenix Suns complete their longest homestand of the season tonight when they host the Houston Rockets at America West Arena. The Suns avoided a three-game losing streak with a 102-92 victory over the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Houston has struggled of late, losing five of its last six games and is coming off last night's 106-99 double-overtime loss vs. the Lakers at Los Angeles.
These teams have already met twice this season. The Suns claimed an 88-87 home win on November 15 before the Rockets captured a 102-96 victory in Houston on January 15. Despite last night's tough loss in LA, we look for the Rockets to be very competitive here. They have played very well in the desert, as their 7-0 spread mark in Phoenix will attest to. On the road off an overtime loss, they are 4-0 ATS since the start of the 1999 season.
Phoenix is simply not a good play as a large home favorite, as they are just 3-13 ATS as a home fave of 5+ points. They are also 1-5 ATS as a home favorite off a SU win of 10 or more points. We don't expect them to dominate here either, as Steve Francis should rebound to have a strong outing. It should be another great match-up with "The Franchise" going up against the Suns' Stephon Marbury. We are expecting a back-and-forth affair that goes down to the final possession.
PROJECTED FINAL SCORE: PHOENIX 97 HOUSTON 96