Jalen Green recorded 34 points and nine rebounds and the Houston Rockets ended a nine-game road losing streak with a 118-109 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Saturday night.
Fred VanVleet added 24 points and 11 assists and Alperen Sengun had 21 points and 10 rebounds for Houston. Green and VanVleet each made six 3-pointers for the Rockets, who split a two-game set in Phoenix and are 2-1 against the Suns over the past nine days.
Kevin Durant had 30 points and nine rebounds for the Suns, who ended a nine-game home winning streak.
Phoenix’s Devin Booker scored 24 points but sprained his right ankle with 1:15 left. Booker immediately limped to the locker room.
Royce O’Neal added 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Suns, who lost at home for the first time since a Christmas Eve loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Phoenix big man Jusuf Nurkic (neck sprain) left late in the second quarter after taking an accidental hit from teammate Josh Okogie. He had seven points and 10 rebounds in 17 minutes.
Bradley Beal returned for the Suns after a five-game absence due to a hamstring injury, but was forced out in the third quarter. He scored seven points in 20 minutes.
Phoenix shot 45.9 percent from the field, including 9 of 29 from 3-point range.
Houston connected on 43.8 percent of its shots and was 16 of 42 from behind the arc. Jabari Smith Jr. added 14 points and Dillon Brooks had 11.
Houston led 89-79 heading into the final stanza before the Suns pulled within 99-98 on Okogie’s basket with 6:49 left.
A VanVleet 3-pointer and a fierce dunk by Green off a VanVleet lob gave the Rockets a six-point lead with 6:15 to play. Sengun’s putback climaxed the 14-4 run as Houston held a 113-102 advantage with four minutes remaining.
Brooks’ basket made the score 117-109 with 1:15 left. Booker was injured during the game when his ankle became confused with teammate O’Neale’s foot. Durant was replaced 12 seconds later as Houston recorded only its third victory in its last 12 games.
Green made two 3-pointers during a 7-0 run to increase Houston’s lead to 73-57. The final point was on a technical free throw from VanVleet.
The technical came after a sequence in which Beal prepared to tuck the ball and tapped it to Green’s head, then his face before throwing it. Green shoved Beal back and Beal shoved an open hand into Green’s face. Beal received two technicals and an ejection, and Green received a technical.
Green and VanVleet scored 11 points each in the first quarter as the Rockets took a 38-19 lead. It was 54-44 at halftime, with Green scoring 17 points for the Rockets.
–Field media/Reuters
