Kevin Durant got a modicum of revenge against one of his former teams and helped his current team move in position to potentially earn the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs on Tuesday night.
In his first game back at Mortgage Matchup Center since being traded by the Phoenix Suns last summer, Durant scored 24 points to lead the Rockets to a 119-105 comeback win.
Durant didn’t have his most efficient game of the season. Matched up primarily with Dillon Brooks, the two-time NBA Finals MVP finished 8-of-20 from the field.
Despite the lackluster overall outing for Durant, fans reacted to his return to Phoenix and helping the Rockets extend their winning streak to a season-high seven games.
The Suns jumped out to a 28-7 lead early and led by 17 after the first quarter. Houston, whose fourth-quarter offense has been an issue throughout the season, responded by outscoring the Suns 38-21 in the final period to pull away.
While Durant was struggling to find his shot for most of the game, the Rockets got a big boost from Amen Thompson. The 23-year-old nearly had a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds (six offensive) and eight assists. He also had three steals and a block on the defensive end of the court.
Devin Booker was terrific for the Suns, finishing with a game-high 31 points. Brooks and Jalen Green, the two players Houston gave up in the Durant trade, combined for 25 points on 8-of-26 shooting in the loss.
Phoenix (43-36) is still in the driver seat for the No. 7 seed and home-court advantage in the play-in tournament, but its lead over the Los Angeles Clippers is down to two games.
Durant and the Rockets (50-29) moved into a tie with the reeling Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 4 seed. The Lakers do own the head-to-head tiebreaker, so Houston has to finish with a better record to secure home-court advantage in a potential first-round matchup.
The Rockets will finish the regular season with three straight home games, starting on Thursday night against the Philadelphia 76ers.