Houston Rockets Edge Phoenix Suns Behind Strong Performance from Tari Eason

The Houston Rockets were looking to get back into the swing of things, trying to string together a couple of wins after a dreadful six-game losing streak. They were looking to build off a win from Sunday, this time against the Phoenix Suns, who were in the latter half of a back-to-back on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.

Phoenix superstar Kevin Durant, however, had other plans as he began the game on fire. No matter how many defenders Houston would throw at him, Durant was finding a way to get the ball in the hoop early and often.

The Rockets were able to counter, however, pushing the pace on the offensive end to get easy buckets around the rim. Forward Tari Eason made his impact felt early, constantly crashing the boards, helping Houston keep the Suns' lead at just two at the end of the first.

Phoenix continued to apply the pressure in the second as lengthy forward Bol Bol got involved, hitting tough jumpers from the mid-range area. Durant stayed hot as well, leading a 16-3 run to end the second, extending the Suns' lead to six at the end of the half.

The game stayed steady in the third as both teams began to go back and forth. Star guard Jalen Green stayed relatively quiet through three quarters, but Eason and Thompson carried the load enough on offense to keep the contest within grasp for the Rockets.

Houston then came out hot to start the fourth as Thompson began to put his stamp on the game with emphatic slams over Phoenix defenders. The Rockets started the quarter on a 10-3 run to give themselves a one-point edge.

Just like most games for Houston so far in 2025, both teams kept trading buckets, making it a highly contested matchup in the waning minutes. The Rockets kept gaining momentum, but Durant, the Suns would shut it down almost immediately.

It wasn't until the 3:30 mark in the fourth that Houston was able to pull away. Green, who struggled to hit shots for most of the game, finally hit a pull-up three-point jumper to give the Rockets some momentum and they didn't look back from there.

Houston, who was dared to shoot all game, hit two more triples after that play, helping close out Phoenix 119-111. Eason was the X-factor for the Rockets Wednesday night. He put up 25 points, corralled in nine rebounds and added three steals on the other to help give Houston the edge.

The Rockets will have a quick turnaround however, as they will face the Golden State Warriors Thursday night back at the Toyota Center.

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