(Sports Network) - The Phoenix Suns will try to close out a four-game road trip on a winning note, as they pay a visit to the Houston Rockets tonight from the Toyota Center.
The Suns have lost three straight in Miami, Orlando and Charlotte, and suffered a 123-105 loss to the Bobcats on Saturday. Grant Hill led Phoenix with 23 points, and Hedo Turkoglu added 18 points and five rebounds for the Suns, who did not have All-Star point guard Steve Nash for a second straight game because of a groin problem.
Nash is averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists this season and is expected to miss this evening's game. Goran Dragic, starting in place of Nash, had 17 points and 10 assists for Phoenix, which made 45.9 percent of its shots and got 13 points from Jason Richardson.
"We let a team that is averaging 93 points a game score 123 and they were nice about it. They probably could have scored 140," Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said. "If we are going to be a good team we have to play defense. I'm disappointed. We can't use the fact that Steve (Nash) is out as an excuse; we still have 12 guys on our team that have to play. We didn't do what we were supposed to do."
Phoenix is 3-5 away from the desert this season.
Houston, meanwhile, has lost three straight and is only 1-3 as the host this season. In Friday�s 106-96 loss at Toronto, Kevin Martin matched a season high with 31 points for Houston. Kyle Lowry equaled a career high with 12 assists, adding 11 points and seven rebounds.
"We put people in games, and they've got to step up for us," said Houston head coach Rick Adelman. "This is the NBA. If you're not scoring, you've got to do something else."
Luis Scola netted 19 points in a losing effort.
The Suns won all four meetings with Houston a year ago and are unbeaten in the previous five contests in this series. Phoenix has won nine of 12 and 12 of its last 18 trips to the Rockets.
Follow along with other disinterested Rockets fans at The Dream Shake.