Since the start of the season, the Suns' performance has been unsatisfactory, Beal has been stop-and-go, Durant and Booker have entered a burnout period, and everything is going in a bad direction.
Against the Rockets, the Suns swept away the decline, and Durant defused the team's time bomb. In the first quarter, the two sides bit all the way, VanVleet cut points one after another, Gordon and Booker fought back, the Rockets stopped attacking in the middle, Allen made consecutive free throws to open the score, and the Suns established a 6-point advantage. In the second quarter, the two teams fought off the perimeter, Gordon scored 17 points on 5-of-6 three-point shooting, Durant was wrapped up and focused on tandem to deliver 7 assists, Green and Shin Jing struggled to survive, and the Suns had an 18-point lead at halftime.
After returning from the break, Shen Jing led the Rockets to launch a counterattack, Booker made a sudden outside shot to hold on to the advantage, and the Suns set off a 12-4 small climax to stabilize their position, and the Rockets still trailed by 20 points after the third quarter. In the final quarter, the Rockets replaced the bench, the Suns were firmly in control, and Udoka was forced to withdraw the troops. In the end, the Suns beat the Rockets 129-113 to end a three-game losing streak.
Durant transformed into a forward, playing 41 minutes, shooting 9-of-16, 3-of-7 from three-point range, 6-of-8 from the free-throw line, scoring 27 points, 10 rebounds, 16 assists, 2 steals and 1 block, with a plus/minus of +17!In this way, Durant became the second player in Suns history after Bledsoe in 2014 to score at least 27 points, 10 rebounds, 16 assists and 2 steals in a single game!
Eric Gordon shot 10-of-15 from the field, 7-of-11 from three-point range, and finished with 27 points, 1 assist and 3 blocks, with a plus/minus of +11. Booker was a stable output, contributing 20 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 2 steals, with a plus/minus of +13.
The Rockets not only lost but also lost a key player, and Jabari Smith Jr. suffered an unknown foot injury. Shen Jing was strong in attack and weak in defense, fighting for 24 points, 5 rebounds and 2 breaks. Whitmore was efficient off the bench, scoring 12 points, 1 rebound and 1 cap. Jalen Green hit six three-pointers to set a new season high, finishing with 23 points, five rebounds, three assists and one steal.