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Suns Injury Report Shortens for Primetime Matchup vs Rockets

The Suns are finally almost completely healthy with the regular season just about over.
Jan 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) dribbles against Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) in the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images
Jan 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) dribbles against Phoenix Suns forward Royce O'Neale (00) in the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

PHOENIX -- The Phoenix Suns only have one player on their injury report for tomorrow night's primetime game against the Houston Rockets.

Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management) remains out for Phoenix (43-35), while the rest of the report is clear.

The Suns got back Amir Coffey (left ankle sprain) for Sunday's 120-110 victory over the Chicago Bulls, although he did not play, while starting center Mark Williams (foot stress reaction) returned two games ago.

Phoenix also dodged a massive bullet earlier today when the NBA rescinded Dillon Brooks' technical foul from Sunday's win, allowing him to avoid an automatic one-game suspension and play his former team tomorrow. You can read more about that by clicking here.

As for Highsmith, he has missed the past nine games due to his injury after playing in just six games this season after undergoing meniscus surgery in the offseason.

Suns coach Jordan Ott said "the hope" is Highsmith returns before the end of the season, which is just four games away.

"He is trending in the right direction. Just not as much on the floor right now. He's getting there. Just no play yet," Ott added on Highsmith before the win over Chicago (via The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin).

As for Houston (49-29), Steven Adams (left ankle surgery) and Fred VanVleet (right knee ACL repair) continue to be out.

Suns Looking for Revenge vs Rockets

Houston Rockets  Kevin Durant (7) celebrates his three point winning basket against the Phoenix Suns
Jan 5, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets Kevin Durant (7) celebrates his three point winning basket against the Phoenix Suns in the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

The Suns will be looking to get back at the Rockets after Kevin Durant hit a game-winner on them in their last meeting on Jan. 5 that gave Houston a 100-97 victory.

Houston has gone 3-0 against Phoenix this season after the blockbuster trade this summer between the two teams that sent Durant to the Rockets and Jalen Green and Brooks to the Suns.

Tomorrow will mark the first time Durant is back in Phoenix since the trade and will also be the first time Green squares off against his former team after missing the first three matchups with a hamstring strain that sidelined him for 48 games earlier this season.

"Exciting. It's going to be a good one. I'm excited," Green said.

He added: "It's going to be a great (atmosphere), like a playoff game. That's what you want going into the postseason, so should be exciting."

The Suns are pretty much locked into the seventh seed, as they are three games back of the sixth seed and have a three-game cushion on eighth place, so they will likely be the top play-in seed in the West.

The Rockets, meanwhile, are the fifth seed, but are only one game back of the Los Angeles Lakers and Denver Nuggets for the third seed, so they need every win they can get to try to earn homecourt advantage.

Tomorrow's game tips off shortly after 8:00 p.m. MST and will be televised on NBC and Peacock.

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Brendan Mau
BRENDAN MAU

Brendan Mau is a staff writer for Suns on SI. Brendan has been a credentialed media member covering the Suns since 2023 and holds a bachelor’s degree in sports journalism from Arizona State’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. Follow Brendan on X @Brendan_Mau for more news, updates, analysis and more!