Durant, Rockets top Suns, handing T-Wolves final playoff spot

PHOENIX (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 24 points in his return to Phoenix and the Houston Rockets rallied from an early 21-point deficit and pulled away late to beat the Phoenix Suns 119-105 on Tuesday night.

The Rockets are on a seven-game winning streak and moved into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference playoff race.

All five Houston starters scored in double figures. Durant made 5 of 9 3-pointers.

Durant, a 16-time All-Star, was greeted with a mix of boos and cheers by Suns fans when he was announced as part of the Rockets' starting lineup. He was traded to the Rockets during the offseason after spending 2 1/2 seasons in the desert in a package that brought Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to the Suns.

The Suns jumped out to a 26-5 lead midway through the first quarter, hitting 10 of their first 15 shots, but the Rockets cut the deficit to 57-54 by halftime. Houston led early in the third quarter but Phoenix rallied to take an 84-81 into the fourth.

Houston scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to push back into the lead and didn’t trail again. Durant hit a 3-pointer to put Rockets up 111-96 with 4:14 left.

Devin Booker scored 31 points for the Suns. The Rockets finished with a 55-34 rebounding edge.

Durant came to the Suns in 2023 as part of a four-team trade deadline deal just hours after Mat Ishbia officially took the reins of the franchise as a majority owner. The splashy move was widely praised at the time, but the Suns were never able to advance past the second round of the playoffs during his tenure.

Up next

Rockets: Host the 76ers on Thursday.

Suns: Host the Mavericks on Wednesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA