Kevin Durant scored 24 points in his return to Phoenix, and the Houston Rockets erased an early 21-point hole before pulling away late for a 119-105 victory over the Suns on Tuesday night at Mortgage Matchup Center.
The win extended Houston’s streak to seven straight and moved the Rockets into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for fourth place in the Western Conference. It also underlined how dangerous the Rockets have become when their offense and rebounding travel together.
Phoenix came out fast and opened a 26-5 lead midway through the first quarter after hitting 10 of its first 15 shots. Houston answered by trimming the margin to 57-54 by halftime, then briefly took control early in the third before the Suns grabbed an 84-81 edge entering the fourth.
The Rockets then flipped the game with the kind of stretch that has powered their late-season surge. Houston scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter and never trailed again.
Durant delivered the knockout blow against his former team with a 3-pointer that pushed Houston ahead 111-96 with 4:14 left. He finished 8-for-20 from the field and 5-for-9 from deep, while taking the full weight of the moment in a building where he spent 2 1/2 seasons.
All five Rockets starters scored in double figures, and the balance was the difference. Alperen Sengun posted 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, Amen Thompson added 22 points and eight assists, and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 20 on 6-for-18 shooting.
Houston also controlled the glass by a 55-34 margin, a huge edge that repeatedly denied Phoenix second chances. That rebounding advantage fit the basketball logic of the game: once the Rockets forced the Suns into longer possessions, the comeback became sustainable.
Devin Booker led Phoenix with 31 points, but the Suns could not recover after the fourth-quarter run. Phoenix was outscored 38-21 in the final period and could not match Houston’s size, shot creation or defensive pressure down the stretch.
The emotional backdrop was obvious from the opening tip, as Suns fans greeted Durant with both boos and cheers when he was announced in the starting lineup. The star forward was traded to Houston in the offseason after 2 1/2 seasons in the desert.
Houston now returns home to host Philadelphia on Thursday, while the Suns stay home to face Dallas on Wednesday.
