Tip-off: Tuesday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: Phoenix -1, Total: 214

Two of the highest scoring offenses in the game, the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns, meet on Tuesday night in the desert for what should be an exciting game from start to finish.

Houston has remained one of the more dominant teams in the Western Conference despite numerous injuries to its big men and has come away with a victory in six of its past eight games (5-3 ATS). They’ve maintained a healthy offensive presence in those contests, scoring 102.5 PPG as their defense has held opponents under 100 points four times. The Rockets were unable to get a win in their most recent game though, a 109-98 defeat as 4.5-point favorites at home against the Portland Trail Blazers. Houston just didn’t have the depth as James Harden scored nearly half of the team’s points (46) and could not hold off the All-Star duo of Lillard and Aldridge who combined for 47 of their own points. Overall, Portland made 52.6% of its shots and showed how much depth matters as they outscored the Rockets 28-18 in the final quarter. The Suns offense has looked deflated recently as they they’ve faced Western Conference opponents in each of their last five games and gone a woeful 1-4 SU (2-3 ATS). Their offense has put up just 91.6 PPG in that time and they are coming off their worst scoring performance of the season when they lost to the Kings by a score of 85-83 on Sunday night. Phoenix was 7.5-point favorites on the road against Sacramento, who had lost six straight at home, but could not overcome Cousins’ big night (26 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks), which also included a game-winning, two-point jumper as time expired. The Suns made a meager 33-of-91 shots (36% FG) in the poor showing and looked lost from behind the arc (5-of-28). Houston has been nearly as good on the road as they are at home as evidenced by their 16-8 SU record (12-12 ATS) and they will be going up against a Phoenix team which is 16-10 SU (14-12 ATS) when in front of its hometown faithful. The Rockets have been able to get wins in each of the first two meetings between these clubs this year, winning by an average of just 4.0 PPG. They are coming off a 113-111 win in their last matchup when Houston was able to make 52.4% of its shots in a contest where they were giving two points on the road. Since the beginning of the 2012-13 campaign, this Rockets club has been able to go 6-3 SU (5-4 ATS) against the Suns and have hit triple-digits in all but one of those games. Bettors should be aware that Houston is 12-3 ATS (80%) after one or more consecutive losses this year as Phoenix has managed a record of 42-22 ATS (66%) after playing a road game in the past two seasons. The Rockets continue to deal with a tough injury to C Dwight Howard (Knee) who has missed 19 games so far this season and the Suns have C Alex Len (Ankle) listed as doubtful.

Can the Suns beat the Rockets in Phoenix on Tuesday? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Forecaster has a strong 56% ATS record (134-105-1) in featured games this season. In terms of Best Bets, the experts have a huge 62% ATS (86-53) record since Jan. 2, led by StatFox Brian who is a stellar 66% ATS (19-10) mark in Best Bets since Dec. 31, and is now 57% ATS (43-32) in season Best Bets. StatFox Scott is sizzling with a 66% ATS (23-12) in Best Bets since Dec. 21, improving his record to 56% ATS (42-33) for the season. StatFox Gary is also red-hot with a 61% ATS (17-11) record in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 1, and 56% ATS (42-33) this season. StatFox Zach is 61% ATS (17-11) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 2, while StatFox Dave is 63% ATS (10-6) in NBA Best Bets since Jan. 18.

It has been a successful season on the offensive end for the Rockets and they are netting 102.8 PPG (7th in league) behind 43.9% shooting (9th-worst in league). They have been able to combine that with a solid defense which is allowing 99.3 PPG (13th in league) on 44.3% shooting. SG James Harden (27.5 PPG, 6.8 APG, 5.6 RPG, 2.0 SPG) has no problems carrying this team but was unable to give enough against the Blazers the last time out despite putting up a gaudy line (45 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals). He’s had a double-double in each game against Phoenix this year, but has made a mere 13-of-39 shots (33% FG) as he scored 24.0 PPG. SF Trevor Ariza (12.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 2.0 SPG) has really had issues with his shot, making a career-low 38% of his field goal attempts as he comes off a decent yet unspectacular all-around effort (9 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals) against the Blazers. He’ll be happy to see the Suns again after averaging 15.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG in two games this season. SF Josh Smith (12.1 PPG, 6.6 RPG, 1.4 BPG, 1.2 SPG) has been seeing more playing time as he adjusts to the system in Houston and has scored 15.0 PPG on 55% shooting (11-for-20) in his last two games. He’s played against Phoenix three times this year, twice with the Pistons and once with his new team, and had a solid 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting, but turned the ball over six times in the win with the Rockets.

The Suns have been a great offense for years now and this season is no different as they are putting up 105.7 PPG (5th in league) on 46% shooting from the floor (8th in league). They have been unable to keep up on the defensive end, though, and are giving up 104.3 PPG (3rd-worst in league) with opponents making 45.4% of their shots (11th-worst in league). PG Eric Bledsoe (16.9 PPG, 5.9 APG, 5.2 RPG, 1.7 SPG) missed the last game as he attended the birth of his daughter but is expected to play in this one and has made 51% of his shots over his last four performances. He has been spectacular against the Rockets this year and had a near triple-double (25 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists) in their last meeting. SG Goran Dragic (16.1 PPG, 4.1 APG, 1.0 SPG) hasn’t been much of a factor on offense in the last three contests, scoring 10.3 PPG (44% FG) as he dished out 5.3 APG. He was on the court for a mere 18 minutes the last time these clubs faced off and he had just two points and two assists against his former team. PF Markieff Morris (15.1 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 1.2 SPG) questioned what a foul really is anymore after the loss to Sacramento on Sunday, but he should worry more about his performance as he was a putrid 3-for-20 from the field, putting up eight points and four rebounds in the process. He should be able to bounce back as he scored 21 points to go with four rebounds in his last matchup with Houston.