The Phoenix Suns will face Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets in the NBA Cup group play on Nov. 25 at Toyota Center. This matchup comes after the Suns lost their last 5 games, including a 122-131 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on 2026-04-28.
What happened?
The Suns reached the NBA Cup quarterfinals last season, losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder 138-89, their worst margin of defeat ever. The Suns are in West Group A this season with the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz, and Rockets. Last season, Phoenix finished a combined 5-8 against those four teams, with a 3-0 record against the Mavericks, 2-1 against the Jazz, 0-3 against the Nuggets, and 0-4 against the Rockets.
Why it matters for Phoenix Suns
The Rockets-Suns matchup takes on greater meaning as the Phoenix traded Durant to Houston in the summer of 2025 for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and the 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft, 7-footer Khaman Maluach. The Suns will face the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 2 and take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 15 at Mortgage Matchup Center.
What comes next?
The NBA Cup championship game is Dec. 11 at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Suns' group play schedule includes games against the Nuggets on Oct. 30, the Jazz on Nov. 20, the Rockets on Nov. 25, and the Mavericks on Nov. 27. These games will not be televised on ESPN, NBC, or Amazon Prime. The Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Charlotte Hornets, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings, and Suns do not have any of their group play games scheduled to be nationally televised. The full NBA schedule will be released on Aug. 13 at noon MST. The NBA announced the group play schedule on Aug. 12, with all games to be played on Amazon Prime. The Suns' recent form has been poor, with 0 wins, 0 draws, and 5 losses in their last 5 games, including the 122-131 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on 2026-04-28. Duane Rankin, the Suns Insider, can be reached at dmrankin@gannett.com or 480-810-5518, and followed on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin. Support local journalism by subscribing to azcentral.com today. The Suns will look to improve their performance in the upcoming NBA Cup, starting with their group play games against the Nuggets, Jazz, Rockets, and Mavericks.
