PHOENIX, Ariz. — The Houston Rockets clawed all the way back from a 19-point first-half deficit Saturday night, but the trip home to Houston, Texas, comes after a 102-99 loss to the Phoenix Suns, who closed the game on a late burst from Devin Booker.
Phoenix made 16 of its 21 shots in the opening quarter and led 44-25 in the second. Houston then took over, finishing the half on a 20-2 run. Fred VanVleet scored 10 of his 16 points in the second quarter and knotted the score at 47 with a jumper inside the final minute before the break, as the Suns went just 4 of 19 from the floor in the period.
The game stayed tight through the second half, and Phoenix carried a 76-75 edge into the fourth. With the score tied at 93, Booker took over, scoring nine straight Phoenix points over about two minutes to push the margin to 102-95 with 2:30 left. Kevin Durant hit a 3-pointer to make it a one-possession game, but his tying try from deep with 10.6 seconds to go came up short.
Durant posted a double-double of 21 points and 10 boards, yet he hit just 5 of his 14 shots and only 1 of his 7 attempts from beyond the arc. Amen Thompson chipped in 17 points to go with seven boards and four blocked shots. VanVleet finished with 16, while Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 15 each. Houston shot 38.7% overall and hit 10 of 35 threes.
Booker led all scorers with 24. Jalen Green added 16 for Phoenix, and Miles Bridges posted 13 points with 10 boards. The result ended an eight-game Houston winning streak in the series.
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