Alperen Sengun has been playing some excellent basketball and is a big reason why Houston find themselves 2 games over .500 and in the playoff mix. Sengun has an incredibly polished offensive game very similar to Nikola Jokic and Houston runs a significant portion of their offense through the skilled big man. While Sengun is playing at an All-Star level he is still just 21 years old, prone to being inconsistent, and also can fall victim to an offense that runs through their back court. Both of these teams play slow and this combo line is hefty.

Feels a little like desperation time for the Suns on a three-game skid and, shocker, Kevin Durant apparently unhappy already. That dude wouldn't be happy living at Disney or in Finland, apparently the two happiest places on earth (can't say I agree about Disney; is there a Helsinki Disney?). Other than Bradley Beal, the Suns are healthy with Jusuf Nurkic back tonight and Josh Okogie having returned Monday. The Rockets burned us last night at home vs. the Pacers with Houston's two most important players, Fred VanVleet (40) and Alperen Sengun (37), playing massive minutes. Dillon Brooks, who surely would have guarded Durant plenty and is the team's best defender, will not play tonight. Forward Tari Eason is in doubt.

Rockets forward Dillon Brooks left Tuesday's game with an abdominal injury and was unable to return. I'm assuming he won't suit up on the second night of a back-to-back, and that makes the Suns' side more appealing. Brooks is Houston's top individual defender. The Suns are expected to have Jusuf Nurkic and Josh Okogee available, a big boost for this struggling, star-laden team. All the money is coming in on the Suns and I agree with the move.

Bitter loss for the Rockets on Tuesday after erasing a double-digit Pacers lead only for Indiana to end the game on an 8-0 run. Still, the trendlines are good for Ime Udoka's bunch at Toyota Center, where they've won and covered 12 of 14. The status of Dillion Brooks is up in the air after he apparently strained an oblique last night, but Alperen Sengun netted his second straight game of 30+ points. Meanwhile, Phoenix is hardly riding lightning into Houston, losing and failing to cover three straight, including the Xmas game vs. Dallas, and has lost five of its last six. Play Rockets