PHOENIX -- The last several days have been rough for the Phoenix Suns.
Phoenix backed up a four-game win streak that dated back to March 17 with a pair of low-energy defeats at the hands of the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Now, the Suns are behind both the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference standings - which makes tonight's duel with the surging Houston Rockets all the more important.
Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer opted to keep the same starting lineup together despite the pair of losses.
The group to begin the contest:
Gillespie is coming off of a career game - dropping 22 points on 9-11 shooting in Friday's loss. The first-year Sun has been a revelation in the lineup and will be tasked with cracking a challenging Rockets defense tonight.
Booker has struggled since scoring 41 points on March 19 - he could be due for a signature 30-point performance tonight to break out of the slump.
Dunn will start his 37th game of the season tonight - the rookie had a six-game streak of reaching double digit scoring figures before the two-game losing streak.
Durant has to play just four more games to become eligible for another All-NBA selection. The 36 year-old will look to impress against a coach he admires very much in Ime Udoka.
Richards has averaged 11.3 PPG in March and will look to take advantage of a matchup with the less athletic Alperen Sengun.
Suns-Rockets is set to tip-off shortly after 6 P.M. Arizona time.