[ad_1]
PHOENIX (AP) — Jalen Green scored 34 points, Fred VanVleet added 24 and the Houston Rockets beat the phoenix suns 118-109 on Saturday night to split a two-game series.
“This is what we want to be every night,” said Green, who made six 3-pointers.
Phoenix All-Star Devin Booker left late in the game with a sprained right ankle when he stepped on teammate Royce O’Neale’s foot, while Suns teammate Bradley Beal was ejected in his return to the lineup after missing five games with a hamstring injury. .
Suns coach Frank Vogel said Booker’s X-rays were negative.
Beal missed more time after his ejection in the third quarter. He and Green had a brief fight before separating. Beal was given two quick technicals and ejected, while Green also received a technical.
Kevin Durant led the Suns with 30 points. Booker scored 24 and O’Neale 20. Beal finished with seven points and made 3 of 6 shots.
“We fought and we fought back,” Vogel said. “We threw away the game like teams sometimes do with us. But it wasn’t enough.”
Green shot 12 of 23 from the field, including 6 of 12 on 3-pointers. Alperen Sengun added 21 points and 10 rebounds.
The Rockets led for most of the game, but the Suns cut the score to 99-98 midway through the fourth quarter on a Josh Okogie layup. VanVleet responded with a three-pointer to reverse the rally.
“It was good to see that fight, the physicality, I think we had it from the beginning,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “It was obviously night and day from the last game, when we got off to a bad start. Tonight, we jumped on them.”
The Suns beat the Rockets 110-105 on Thursday and that game was also full of turmoil, with Booker and Houston’s Cam Whitmore getting into a minor altercation that ended with technical fouls for both players.
“It’s a good lesson,” Vogel said. “These little baseball series within the 82-game season. If you beat a team in one game, they will have the psychological advantage and come back hungrier.”
The Rockets took a 38-19 lead after one quarter and led 54-44 at halftime. Green scored 17 points in the first half, while VanVleet and Sengun, who was ejected Thursday after arguing with officials, added 13 before halftime.
“I have to give credit to Houston: they came out with a lot of urgency and were able to get the win,” Durant said.
The Suns had 11 turnovers in the first half and shot just 38.6% from the field. It was a tough night for the Suns injury-wise. Starting center Jusuf Nurkic also left the game with a sprained neck, while O’Neale also sprained his ankle in the collision with Booker.
Former Phoenix great Amare Stoudemire was inducted into the Suns Ring of Honor at halftime. He played eight seasons with the Suns from 2002 to 2010 and made five All-Star teams.
Until next time
Rockets: Host San Antonio on Tuesday night.
Suns: Host Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
[ad_2]
Source link