Devin Booker took over in the closing minutes, and Phoenix answered a major Houston run with its best finish of the young season.
PHOENIX — The Suns’ 102–99 win over Houston had the makings of a signature victory: a fast start, a painful collapse, and a composed finish against a 7–2 Rockets team. Phoenix improved to 3–5, earned its first back-to-back wins of the season and snapped an eight-game losing streak against Houston.
The Suns opened with a 35-point first quarter and led by as many as 19. Houston responded with a 22–3 run to erase the advantage and tie the game 47–47 at halftime. Phoenix had to reset, and the game remained close into the final minutes.
The biggest difference was Phoenix’s ball movement and shooting. The Suns made 41 of 85 shots (48%) and assisted on 29 baskets. Houston made 36 of 93 (39%) with 16 assists. Phoenix also hit 12 three-pointers to Houston’s 10. The Rockets had a slight edge in rebounds, 45–44, and made nine more free throws, but the Suns’ field-goal efficiency helped offset that gap. Full box score
Booker delivered the decisive stretch. After Alperen Şengün tied it at 95 with free throws, Booker answered with a pull-up jumper. He then grabbed a defensive rebound after a Kevin Durant miss, came back down and hit a pull-up three to make it 100–95. At 2:30, Booker drove for a finger-roll layup, assisted by Miles Bridges, extending the lead to 102–95. Houston scored the final four points, but could not get closer than three.
Booker finished with a game-high 24 points. Bridges contributed 13 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists without a turnover. Ryan Dunn supplied a spark off the bench: he had eight points, five rebounds and three steals in 23 minutes, and Phoenix was plus-25 with him on the floor. Khaman Maluach added eight points and 10 rebounds, including a key fourth-quarter putback and free throw after Houston had tied the game at 82.
Jalen Green scored 16 points against the team that drafted him. After the game, KazualSportz asked him:
“Was there an extra motivation to show them the player you have become, or was this like any other game?”
Green said “I was just trying to win, obviously it was emotions in there, but that was two years ago the dub was louder than anything” Greens impact on the game stood out and his motivation of playing his old team had him locked in a little extra.
The win was not flawless—the Suns let a 19-point cushion disappear and were outrebounded—but they made the late plays that had eluded them in earlier losses. If Phoenix builds on that response, this could be remembered as an early signature moment in its season.