Rockets look to solve perimeter-defense woes vs. Suns

For the second time in their past three home games, the Houston Rockets endured a defeat that showcased what has become a glaring defensive deficiency.

In a 123-117 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday, the Rockets surrendered 19 3-pointers on 44.2 percent shooting from behind the arc. On Dec. 20, the Atlanta Hawks snapped the Rockets' 11-game home winning streak by shooting 17 of 40 (42.5 percent) on 3-point attempts.

What has become problematic for Houston, which will host the scuffling Phoenix Suns on Wednesday, is an ability to defend perimeter-oriented teams that opt to slip screens. It was an issue for the Rockets earlier in the season, but one they seemed to rectify.

However, six days after the Hawks torched Houston from deep, the Pacers started 6-for-6 from 3-point range and went 11-for-22 from long distance in the first half.

For every moment the Rockets managed a rally, the Pacers answered with a 3-pointer, often an uncontested look from a capable shooter. Tyrese Haliburton was the beneficiary of Houston's specific defensive struggles, drilling 7 of 13 3-point tries en route to a game-high 33 points. His trey with 1:03 remaining put the Pacers up for good at 120-117.

"I don't think it's basic switching and some things that teams do, but obviously the teams that slip out a lot have hurt us this year," Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. "Yeah, it's something we've gone over and talked about.

"We knew (the Pacers) were very similar to Atlanta in the fact that they slip out of everything. They probably set screens 10 percent of the time. If you don't get hit by a screen, you don't switch it. And so we worked on that, talked about it, and ... it still hurt us. That is a little surprising. Obviously, we've got to be better in that regard."

The Suns took a 128-114 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas, Phoenix's ninth loss in 12 games following a seven-game winning streak that left the team a season-high five games over .500. An inability to cultivate any semblance of consistency continues to stall the Suns, whose injury concerns remain at the heart of their ongoing woes.

Phoenix remains without Bradley Beal (ankle), who has logged only six games this season, and was also missing Jusuf Nurkic (personal) against the Mavericks. Beyond Beal, the injury issues haven't been overly debilitating but rather a constant nuisance, with the Suns laboring to construct a set rotation that can compete with the heavyweights in the Western Conference.

The early-season struggles have yielded a fair share of think pieces contemplating what ails Phoenix. For their part, the Suns have yet to display any signs of panic despite everything that's gone awry.

"I try not to get too high or too low," Phoenix coach Frank Vogel said. "We won seven straight and I wasn't feeling like, hey, we're on our way to the championship. We've struggled of late and I don't feel like the sky is falling.

"There are correctable things, there are many moves we can make throughout the course of an NBA season with how we're playing, who we're playing, what guys are out, when they're coming back. You have to have a sense of urgency but an even-keel mindset through wins and losses."

—Field Level Media