Guard Pat Beverley wants to see the Rockets' defense improve.

He wants more intensity, more aggression and more activity on the defensive end. He wants to see those things early and often. And he wants to see more from himself.

After recent losses to Detroit and Portland, the 6-1 Beverley has looked at himself to make changes that can help the Rockets avoid letdowns. From those losses, he picked up a few things.

"I learned the way we have to play - it has to be a consistent basis," Beverley, 26, said. "And it starts with me. It starts with me creating pace offensively. Starts with me setting that tone defensively, so I put a lot of pressure on myself.

"This is what I asked for. I asked to be a starting point guard in this league, and in order to do that, I need to be consistent every night on the offensive and defensive end."

Beverley and his teammates have shown spurts of excellent defense, but they agree they have been inconsistent. After Sunday night's 109-98 loss to Portland, guard Jason Terry pointed to a poor second quarter. The Rockets didn't rebound well, allowed second-chance points, and fouled recklessly. Terry called the play in the second quarter unacceptable.

"We have to be a lot better than that if we want to be able to compete and win in the Western Conference," he said.

Tough western swing

With that in mind, the Rockets head out on the road against two teams that provide challenges for their guards. Tuesday night brings Phoenix, which boasts a backcourt with Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic. Both average more than 16 points and four assists per game. Both are known for their ability to shoot, attack the basket, and draw fouls.

"We are going to have to keep those guys in front of us," Rockets coach Kevin McHale said. "Bigs got to get up; guards got to get over. We have to fight harder. Everyone has to work harder on that."

After Phoenix come the Clippers, who trot out Chris Paul and J.J. Redick - two more top Western Conference guards.

"It's always about defense, so slowing Bledsoe down, slowing Dragic down, slowing Chris Paul down is really the key," Beverley said. "We slow them down, we limit them, we can really put ourselves in a position to be successful."

The Rockets have beaten the Suns twice this season. In the first matchup in January, Dragic and Bledsoe combined for 36 points and nine rebounds. Just a few weeks ago, the Rockets squeaked past the Suns 113-111. They held Dragic to two points, but Bledsoe had 25 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

In their only game with the Clippers this season, the Rockets lost 102-85. Paul had 10 points and seven assists, and Redick had 15 points.

With those two games before the All-Star break, Beverley said the Rockets must find a way to be consistent and stay on top of things defensively. The team talks about playing with more effort and energy, but Beverley couldn't pinpoint why the Rockets sometimes lack those.

Fleeting quality

"Defensively, one game we are good; one game we take a step back," he said. "We have to get consistent. It's hard this time of year. That's not an excuse, but it is always hard this time of year. We have to find that consistency, and once we do, we are going to be a lot better off.

"I have to be more aggressive. I set the tone. It starts with me. I am the head of the snake. I have to be better. My intensity has to be better. My aggression has to be better. The more aggressive I am on defense, the better this team is."