Suns Reveal New Starting Lineup vs Rockets With No Devin Booker

The Suns will use their 13th different starting lineup of the season against Houston.

Nov 23, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams (15) rebounds the ball in the second half of the game at Mortgage Match Up Center. Mandatory Credit: Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images | Arianna Grainey-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns have a new look tonight against the Houston Rockets, as they will play their first game of the season without star guard Devin Booker in the lineup.

The team announced Wednesday that Booker has a left groin strain and would be re-evaluated in one week after suffering the injury in the first quarter of Monday's 125-108 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Phoenix (13-9) will also continue to be without Jalen Green (right hamstring strain) in what would have been his return game to Houston and Isaiah Livers (right hip strain).

The Rockets (14-5) released unfortunate news a short time ago that star center Alperen Sengun would be out tonight with an illness.

Sengun had 18 points for Houston in the first matchup between the two teams on Nov. 24 in Phoenix, which was a 114-92 blowout victory for the Rockets.

This previous game is the only time this season the Suns have been held under 100 points.

With Booker out of the lineup tonight, the Suns will have three new starters from the first matchup and be using their 13th different starting lineup of the season.

Here's who will start for the Suns:

• Collin Gillespie
• Grayson Allen
• Dillon Brooks
• Royce O'Neale
• Mark Williams

Williams and Allen did not play in the first meeting between the teams due to injury, while Gillespie came off the bench in favor of Jordan Goodwin in the backcourt next to Booker.

What Suns Must Do to Upset Rockets

Even with Sengun out, the Suns are still massive underdogs with the Rockets favored by 9.5 tonight.

Kevin Durant did not play in the first matchup due to personal reasons, so Houston will have a completely new dynamic with Durant in the lineup and Sengun missing his first game of the year.

Amen Thompson lit up the Suns in the first matchup with one of his best games of the season, recording 28 points, eight assists and seven rebounds, so the Suns will have to find a way to slow both him and Durant down and not allow Thompson to get easy drives to the rim.

The Rockets, who lead the league by far in rebounding and offensive rebounding, only won the rebounding battle 41-39 in the first meeting, and the Suns will look to employ their same strategy of putting multiple bodies on Steven Adams, although the loss of Sengun could hurt the Rockets in imposing their will down low.

The most important area for the Suns tonight that they have excelled at all season is playing their brand of basketball and getting steals without fouling and turning them into baskets on the other end, which could be easier with Sengun out, as the Rockets rely on him to create a lot of offense (leads team with 7.1 assists per game) and don't have a traditional point guard.

Booker's absence will be something that will take a team effort to overcome offensively, although Dillon Brooks will likely be very aggressive in looking for his shot in his first game back in Houston since being traded to the Suns.

All in all, the Suns are going to have to muck up the game with their effort and intensity and try to speed up the Rockets to play right into their hands if they want to pull off the upset.

Tonight's game is scheduled to tip off shortly after 6:00 p.m. MST.