PHOENIX — — Jalen Green scored 34 points, Fred VanVleet added 24 and the Houston Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns 118-109 Saturday night to split a two-game series.
“That’s what we want to be every night,” said Green, who made six 3-pointers.
Phoenix All-Star Devin Booker left late in the game with a sprained right ankle when he stepped on teammate Royce O’Neale’s foot, while Suns compatriot Bradley Beal , was kicked out upon return to the lineup after missing five games with a hamstring injury.
Suns coach Frank Vogel said Booker’s X-rays were negative.
Beal missed even more time after he was ejected in the third quarter. He and Green briefly fought before being separated. Beal was assessed two quick technicals and ejected while Green also got a technical.
Kevin Durant led the Suns with 30 points. Booker had 24 and O’Neale 20. Beal finished with seven points on 3-of-6 shooting.
“We fought back, we fought back,” Vogel said. “We put the game away like the team does sometimes. But it wasn’t enough.
Green shot 12 of 23 from the field, including 6 of 12 from 3-point range. Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The Rockets led for most of the game, but the Suns cut it to 99-98 midway through the fourth quarter on Josh Okogie’s layup. VanVleet responded with a 3-pointer to put the rally back.
“It was good to see that fight, the physicality, I think we had that from the beginning,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “It was obviously day and night in the last game when we got off to a bad start. Tonight we kind of jumped on them.
The Suns beat the Rockets 110-105 on Thursday and that game also featured some commotion, with Booker and Houston’s Cam Whitmore getting into a minor altercation that ended in technical fouls for both players.
“It’s a good lesson,” Vogel said. “Those short runs of baseball in an 82-game season. If you beat a team one game, they will have the psychological advantage and come back hungrier.”
The Rockets took a 38-19 lead after one quarter and led 54-44 at halftime. Green scored 17 points in the first half while VanVleet and Sengun — who was ejected Thursday after arguing with officials — added 13 before the break.
“Credit to Houston — they came out with a lot of urgency and they were able to get the win,” Durant said.
The Suns had 11 turnovers in the first half and shot just 38.6 percent from the field. It was a tough night for the Suns on the injury front. Starting center Jusuf Nurkic also left the game with a sprained neck while O’Neale also sprained his ankle in the collision with Booker.
Former Phoenix great Amare Stoudemire was inducted into the Suns’ ring of honor at halftime. He played eight seasons with the Suns from 2002 to 2010 and was part of five All-Star teams.
FOLLOWING
Rockets: Host San Antonio Tuesday night.
Suns: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
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