Rockets With Huge Comeback Win Over Suns In KD’s Return to Phoenix: Three Takeaways

The Houston Rockets faced off against the Phoenix Suns in an enticing late night showdown on NBC and made their largest comeback of the season in a 119-105 win. The Rockets got their 50th win of the season and improved to 50-29 overall.

They are now right behind the LA Lakers for fifth in the tight Western Conference standings. Both teams have the same record, but LA has the tie-breaker. This was Houston’s seventh straight win overall and eighth straight victory over the Suns.

The two teams hadn’t met since January and it was a different look for both. Kevin Durant made his first return to Phoenix since the trade to the Rockets. In his first game as a Rocket in the valley, Durant was the leading scorer with 24 points.

It was also Jalen Green’s first time facing the Rockets since he got traded to the Suns. The former second overall pick by Houston back in 2021 scored 15. Dillon Brooks added 10 points on 3/12 shooting.

This was just the eighth game with Green, Brooks and Booker all together for the Suns, but it didn’t make a difference against the Rockets. Seven Houston players were in double digits, including the whole starting lineup and three with at least 20. Amen Thompson put up another double double of 22 points and 11 rebounds. He also had eight assists, three steals and one block.

Jabari Smith Jr. came through with another great game and scored 20 points with five triples. Tari Eason and Aaron Holiday each added 12 off the bench. Alperen Sengun and Reed Sheppard also had 12, but Sengun got a double double as well with 14 rebounds.

Here are three takeaways from this win.

Rockets Brand of Basketball on Display

Apr 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Jalen Green (4) scuffles with Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The rebounding was a key point of difference in the game. It gave the Rockets additional opportunities to score. The defense was also strong. Both those areas are the main aspects of the Rockets’ playing culture under coach Ime Udoka.

Houston outrebounded Phoenix 55-34 overall and 24-10 on the offensive glass. That resulted in a huge 37-17 advantage in second-chance points. That was the game.

The Rockets settled in and just were the more physical team. They showed more effort on both sides of the ball. There was a massive 30-12 run during the fourth quarter led by Thompson that ended the game. It was a quick 8-0 run to begin the fourth that gave the Rockets momentum. It was capped off by a fierce dunk from Thompson off an offensive rebound.

The Rockets put on a show around the halfway point of the fourth with Thompson flying around for slams and elite defense. The lead ballooned to 15 after triples from Smith Jr. and Durant. Clint Capela looked great on both ends to start the third and gave Houston its first lead since the beginning of the game.

Disastrous Start

Smith Jr. picked up where he left off with a 3-pointer, and the Rockets were up 5-2. Booker was hot early with eight points and drilled a couple of threes. The Suns were scorching hot out of the gate and absolutely took over.

It was a disaster for the Rockets in the first quarter. Phoenix went on a monster 24-0 run over a five-minute stretch. The Rockets were ice cold from the floor and missed eight straight shots.

The Suns took a 26-5 lead as the Rockets went down 21. Durant finally ended the drought with his pull-up shot. While the Rockets eventually started to make a few shots and got aggressive at the rim, they were still down 16 at 37-21.

Houston was just 8/26 from the field during the period and 2/9 from three. Compare that to the 61 percent overall (14/23) for Phoenix. The Suns did well in rebounding and had 18 paint points compared to eight for the Rockets.

Recovery By Halftime

The Rockets cut the once-huge deficit down to just three points with under two minutes to go before half. The halftime score was just a 3-point deficit at 57-54. Houston outscored Phoenix 33-20 in the second and got right back into the game fairly quickly considering how much it was trailing.

It was a 10-0 run by Houston that was sparked by the bench unit in Jae’Sean Tate, Holiday, and Eason. The lead was cut to 40-31 with eight minutes to go in the second. Durant was a key part of that. Once he came back in the game, the deficit was reduced further. He started 1/6 overall but still had 13 points at the half.

He also hit back-to-back threes. While the lead went back up to 10, Sengun made a layup followed by a Sheppard three. The second-year guard started knocking down some shots as well.

The rebounding and second-chance points came up huge, but it was really the Rockets just finding a rhythm shooting-wise. Houston was 6/9 from three in the second while Phoenix was 1/10. The Rockets shot 50 percent (11/22) from the field in the period compared to 25 percent (4/16) for the Suns.

The Rockets crushed the glass in the second to the tune of +12 in rebounding at 18-6. Even though the Suns shot 11 more free throws than the Rockets, it was only a 3-point Phoenix lead.

The second quarter was absolutely wild as the tempers flared to another level. While Green and Thompson got into a little tussle, it got even more chippy. Durant and Brooks got into a talking battle, and Booker was called for a technical later.

Tate was called for a technical himself after standing over Brooks with a hard screen. The Durant and Brooks back-and-forth continued, but KD got past Brooks with a slick crossover and brought him to the ground.

The Rockets return home for three games to wrap up the regular season and that begins on Thursday against the 76ers.