In front of a sellout crowd on Sunday at PHX Arena, the Phoenix Suns suffered their worst margin of defeat of the season.
The Suns entered the game 11th in the West, with a 35-39 record, pushing for a spot in the Play-In Tournament.
Suns sat one game away from the final spot, behind the Sacramento Kings.
With little basketball left to play, Phoenix had everything to lose.
The Rockets were sitting pretty—second in the west, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, with a record of 48-26.
Both Devin Booker and Kevin Durant of the Suns were averaging over 25 PPG (Points per Game) nearing the end of the season.
Bradley Beal would miss the game with a left hamstring strain, but Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer had good news regarding his return.
“Yeah, he’s making good progress,” Budenholzer said. “He’s played some 5-on-5 (during practice) which is a big step- just need to continue to do that, continue to see how he responds, and see how that goes.”
The Rockets didn’t have as many scorers like the Suns, as Jalen Green led his team in points, averaging 21.5 PPG.
What the Rockets did have—Alperen Sengun.
Sengun has been a monster for them all season, averaging 19.2 PPG, and 10.5 RPG (Rebounds per Game) in just his third season in the NBA.
“He’s such a great post player,” Budenholzer said of Sengun. “He’s a great player everywhere on the court, from the elbows, he’s very unique…his ability to attack off the dribble, his spin, the footwork, the floaters, short ranged shots, and he’s a great passer- defensively he’s found a way to impact the game too, so a lot of credit to him.”
The Rockets were coming off an incredible run losing one game out of their last 12, having gone on a nine-game win streak during that span.
This would be a tough game for Phoenix, especially near the rim with Sengun on the floor.
Halfway through the first quarter, Rockets player Amar Thompson went down, likely with a foot injury, after going for a contested shot at the rim.
In six minutes, Thompson had racked up six points, four rebounds, and two assists.
Houston would take a timeout following a Suns three, and Thompson would be subbed out for a few minutes before returning later in the first quarter.
Heading into the second quarter, the Rockets had gone to work early, taking an eight-point lead over Phoenix.
The biggest problem in the first quarter for the Suns was transitioning defensively and fast, as they had allowed seven fast break points.
In the middle of the second half, Durant and Rockets player Dillon Brooks would get into an altercation.
Brooks swatted for the ball even after the play had been blown dead, causing Durant to push Brooks, and as Nick Richards of the Suns approached Brooks, it led to another shove, this time by Brooks.
Players exchanged words, before a referee ejected Brooks, in which he rushed the referee in protest and while being held back by coaches, it was clear Brooks had something to say to the referee.
The referees huddled up and the play went under review, seeing if it was a hostile act.
After the review, Durant and Richards would both receive a technical foul.
However, Brooks would receive two technical fouls, leading to disqualification.
Brooks would end up with eight points, one assist, and one rebound, going 3-for-7 from the floor.
Heading into the half, things looked bad for the Suns, as they found themselves down by a whopping 29 points.
“There was a run at the end of the first quarter,” Budenholzer said. “Continued into the second quarter, gave up 78 points at halftime. Defensively, 36 and 42 in the first and second quarter, just not good enough.”
It didn’t help with the Suns awful shooting from beyond the arc, as the team went 4-for-19 when shooting for three, compared to the Rockets 9-for-14.
Four of the Rockets starters had scored at least 10 points, while the Suns saw most action from Booker, as he had gone 9-for-11, scoring 20 points in the first half.
However, things would only get worse for the Suns, as early into the second half, Durant would roll his ankle badly and would not return for the rest of the game.
“We’ll get an MRI on it tomorrow,” Budenholzer said. “He’ll stay back- and we’ll just assess.”
Durant would end his night with 11 points, seven rebounds, and one assist.
Heading into the fourth quarter, it was all Houston, leading by a score of 112-73.
The Rockets would hold on, and won, with a scoreline of 148-109 a whopping 39 points separated the two teams.
The Rockets outmatched and outplayed the Suns.
“Tonight, they had everything,” Budenholzer said regarding the Rockets. “The three-point line, you know they hurt us there, they hurt us on the offensive boards, they hurt us driving it, they basically hurt us with everything. I think tonight was a step in the wrong direction.”
Booker was the only bright spot for Phoenix, scoring 28 while going 12-for-17.
Sengun finished the match with 16 points and nine rebounds, while Thompson had his double-double, with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
It was Green who paved the way though, with 33 points, as he shot 4-for-5 from beyond the arc, as well as shooting 13 free throws, making 11.
“Tonight was a bad night,” Budenholzer said. “There’s no other way to paint it. Tonight, we were not good, urgency, anything you want to put on it, we were not good.”
The Suns fall to 35-40 while the Rockets go to 49-26.
Suns playoff chances are shrinking, and with only seven games left in the season, every game is a must win.
“There’s desperation,” Budenholzer said. “And then you have to go play- there’s an element at some point you have to go and get stops; you have to find a way to make things happen on the defensive end, you have to go and make plays offensively and- desperation, they’re important but you got to go play, and we have to play better.”
The Phoenix Suns take on the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday.
