The Houston Rockets dug themselves a 21-point hole in Phoenix on Tuesday night, then calmly climbed out of it and slammed the door on the way up, storming to a 119-105 win over the Suns. It was Houston's biggest comeback of the season, their seventh straight victory and win No. 50 overall, capped with a clean 4-0 season sweep of Phoenix. Amen Thompson led the charge with 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Kevin Durant finished with 24.
Fourth-quarter surge silenced Mortgage Matchup Center
Houston saved its best haymaker for the fourth quarter, closing the game on a 38-21 run and turning a tight contest into a comfortable road win, according to the Houston Chronicle. The Rockets shot a blistering 65.2% in the final period, piling up dunks, walk-in threes and fast-break layups off a string of Phoenix turnovers that flipped a halftime deficit into a blowout.
Amen Thompson took over late
Thompson did his best closer impression in the fourth, scoring 12 of his 22 points in the final frame and stuffing the box score with 11 rebounds, eight assists, three steals and a block, per the ESPN box score. His aggressive drives and timely finishes fueled Houston's decisive push, while Devin Booker tried to keep Phoenix within striking distance with a 31-point night.
Standings and seeding implications
The win pushed Houston to 50-29 and into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers still control the tiebreaker via the season series, according to the Houston Chronicle. Even so, seven straight wins and sharper late-game execution have the Rockets rolling into the regular-season finale with something that looks a lot like swagger.
Why it matters
Turning what looked like a road loss into a runaway win - and doing it behind ruthless fourth-quarter efficiency - gives coach Ime Udoka a clearer blueprint for playoff basketball: feed Durant when defenses collapse and let Thompson attack closeouts off that pressure. The official game summary and shot charts on NBA.com underline just how dramatically Houston flipped the efficiency battle to seize control of the game.
