Rockets' Resiliency Was Tested Against the Suns, and They Responded

The Houston Rockets weren't supposed to beat the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday. After just seven minutes of action, they were down 21 points with just seven on the board. It appeared that the six-game winning streak would stop there.

A lot of the issues that plagued Houston earlier in the season came to light in those first few minutes. The Rockets couldn't create an efficient offense, shooting 3-for-12 while committing three turnovers in that stretch that put Phoenix up 21. That momentum swung the Suns' way on the other end of the floor, as it has in the past.

At the end of the first quarter, Houston was down 37-21 with seven turnovers, shooting 31% from the field and 22% from three. The Suns were expected to remain up after the next three quarters, because at the time, the visitors had nothing going its way.

But the Rockets showed something they lacked for most of the regular season: resiliency. It was certainly tested early at the Mortgage Matchup Center, but they responded.

Houston would then outscore Phoenix 98-68 in the next three quarters. While both teams scored 27 points in the third quarter, the second and fourth quarters were overwhelmingly in favor of the Rockets, who won a combined 71-41. After the first 12 minutes, they shot 50% from the field and 41% from beyond the arc with just 10 turnovers for the rest of the night.

Houston is playing its best basketball at the perfect time, now riding a seven-game winning streak going into its final three games. This win in Phoenix showed just how mature this team has gotten since a historic 13-point overtime lead was blown against the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 25.

Perhaps that loss, which dropped the Rockets further into the Western Conference's sixth seed at the time, was what they needed to step up. Some of their recent opponents have been lottery dwellers, but they've also taken down the Suns, New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors with Stephen Curry.

Through this winning streak, Houston owns the NBA's top offensive rating and the seventh-best turnover percentage. For context, the Rockets rank eighth in offensive rating and 28th in turnover percentage on the entire season. They have truly turned over a new leaf, and a lot of it has to do with mental toughness on top of pure shot-making.

Houston is now tied for the fourth seed in the West, and if the Lakers continue to slip amid major injuries, then the Rockets will end up with home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs despite Los Angeles owning the tiebreaker.