Houston Rockets (50-29) beat Phoenix Suns (43-36) 119-105 on the road on Tuesday, April 7, after falling far behind. The Rockets were down 16 at one quarter break and still finished 14 ahead.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Suns had the better start, winning the first 37-21 to lead by 16 after one. The Rockets cut into the deficit with a 33-20 second quarter, though the Suns still led by 3 at halftime.
The teams matched each other with 27 points apiece in the third quarter, so the Suns remained ahead by 3 entering the fourth. The Rockets took the fourth 38-21; the Rockets completed the comeback for a 119-105 regulation win.
What flipped it
The Rockets grabbed 50% of their own misses, while the Suns recovered 24.4%. The Rockets got more from their shots, finishing at 52% effective field-goal shooting compared with 47.3% for the Suns. The second chances kept adding up.
The Suns did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 45.3 against 15. The Rockets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 100 possessions per team, the Rockets produced 118.9 points per 100 possessions to 104.9 for the Suns.
Who carried the comeback
Devin Booker was the game's biggest individual force for PHX: 31 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast on 7-16 shooting. His Game Score of 25.6 led everyone. His team was +2 with him on the floor.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 22 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl on 10-16 shooting, good for a 24.2 Game Score.
Alperen Sengun (12 pts, 14 reb, 6 ast) and Amen Thompson (22 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 46% for the Rockets.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Houston Rockets lead 6-0.
The Rockets are now 50-29, and the Suns are 43-36. The Rockets last five before this game: W-W-W-W-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.