With 33 points, Jalen Green blasts Suns again as Rockets win for 12th time in 13 games

When the Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns previously met on March 12 in Houston, Jalen Green had his way with Devin Booker in an impressive win for the home team.

Two-and-a-half weeks later, the veteran Suns guard had a chance to get some revenge on his fourth-year counterpart from the Rockets. But it didn’t turn out that way in a 148-109 blowout win (box score) for the visitors.

Sunday’s game was a unique opportunity for the streaking Rockets, who were able to boost both their own playoff push and their future NBA draft outlook. With the victory, Houston (49-26, No. 2 in Western Conference standings) secured its 12th win in 13 games.

Green was again the lead story, finishing with a game-high 33 points in only 27 minutes while making 9-of-17 shots (52.9%), 4-of-5 from 3-point range (80.0%), and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line (84.6%).

Other standouts for the Rockets, who only needed to play key rotation players for three quarters, included:

Amen Thompson: 12 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists in 25 minutes; 6-of-10 shooting (60.0%)
Alperen Sengun: 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists in 26 minutesl 6-of-11 shooting (54.5%), 4-of-7 on free throws (57.1%)
Fred VanVleet: 13 points, 7 assists, 2 steals in 28 minutes; 5-of-9 shooting (55.5%), 3-of-6 on 3-pointers (50.0%)
Jabari Smith Jr.: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists in 26 minutes; 5-of-11 shooting (45.5%)

Booker led the Suns (35-40, No. 11 in the West standings) with 28 points and 3 assists in 31 minutes while shooting 12-of-17 from the field (70.6%). Kevin Durant had 11 points and 7 rebounds before leaving early with an ankle injury.

Because Houston owns the right to swap 2025 first-round picks with the Suns, Phoenix missing the playoffs would be very beneficial to the Rockets. The Suns are now 1.5 games behind No. 10 Sacramento for the final spot in the West play-in tournament.

Read on for highlights, statistics, interview tidbits, and real-time reaction. The Rockets were more conservative than usual with minutes, both due to the score and because another game looms Monday night in Los Angeles against the star-studded Lakers (45-29).

It wasn’t even as close as the score might indicate. Best of all, due to the lopsided score, the Rockets were able to conserve minutes among key players for night two of the back-to-back (on Monday in Los Angeles).

More to come.

This is a massacre. Jalen Green has 33 points on 9-of-17 shooting (52.9%), 4-of-5 from 3-point range (80.0%), and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line (84.6%). The Rockets are about to win for the 12th time in 13 games.

Given the score, rookie guard Reed Sheppard is now playing for the first time since suffering a right thumb avulsion fracture on March 6.

Houston has a 92-58 lead, midway through the third quarter. Jalen Green has been outstanding with a game-high 25 points on 7-of-14 shooting (50.0%), 3-of-3 from 3-point range, and 8-of-10 on free throws (80.0%). Suns star Kevin Durant left for the locker room after rolling his ankle.

Phoenix has one of the NBA’s five worst defenses of the 2024-25 season, and this game is showing why. First-half statistics of note include:

Amen Thompson: 14 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds, 2 steals; 7-of-10 shooting (70.0%)
Jalen Green: 14 points, 3-of-9 shooting (33.3%), 7-of-8 on free throws (87.5%)
Fred VanVleet: 11 points, 4 assists, 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%), 3-of-5 on 3-pointers (60.0%)
Alperen Sengun: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists; 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%)
Devin Booker (Suns): 20 points, 2 assists; 9-of-11 shooting (81.8%)

The Rockets have collectively shot 29-of-51 overall (56.9%) and 9-of-14 from 3-point range (64.3%), and they are out-rebounding the Suns, 32-17. Houston is the NBA’s top rebounding team this season.

The Rockets have a 65-42 lead with just over two minutes until halftime, but Dillon Brooks was ejected after receiving two technicals after a contentious exchange involving Kevin Durant and Nick Richards.

Houston ended the quarter on an 11-0 run — and most importantly, with Thompson back in the lineup. Despite the brief injury scare, Thompson has led the Rockets with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists while making 4-of-7 shots (57.1%).

Devin Booker scored 7 points to lead the Suns on 3-of-4 shooting (75.0%).

Somehow, not even four minutes later, Thompson has returned from the locker room and is back in the game. Phoenix leads, 22-21, with three minutes to go in the first quarter.

The Suns lead, 14-13, but the more important storyline is Amen Thompson going back to Houston’s locker room five minutes into the game. He returned to the bench shortly after.

Thompson has missed seven games this month with left ankle issues, and cameras showed him stepping on Devin Booker’s foot and seemingly rolling it again.

Location: PHX Arena, Phoenix
Channels: Space City Home Network, NBA TV
Stream: Fubo TV (free trial), NBA League Pass nationally

Statistical rankings among the NBA’s 30 teams, as of Sunday:

Houston: No. 5 net rating (4.7), No. 13 offensive rating (114.5), No. 4 defensive rating (109.8)
Phoenix: No. 19 net rating (-1.6), No. 9 offensive rating (115.3), No. 26 defensive rating (116.9)

Rockets:

Fred VanVleet, No. 5, guard
Jalen Green, No. 4, guard
Dillon Brooks, No. 9, forward
Amen Thompson, No. 1, forward
Alperen Sengun, No. 28, center

Suns:

Collin Gillespie, No. 12, guard
Devin Booker, No. 1, guard
Kevin Durant, No. 35, forward
Ryan Dunn, No. 0, forward
Nick Richards, No. 2, center

Rockets:

Tari Eason, left lower leg injury management
Reed Sheppard, right thumb avulsion fracture
David Roddy, G League (two-way)
N’Faly Dante, G League (two-way)
Jack McVeigh, G League (two-way)
Nate Williams, G League (on assignment)

Suns:

Bradley Beal, left hamstring strain
Jalen Bridges, G League (two-way)
TyTy Washington Jr., G League (two-way)

Sunday’s game in Phoenix is the midway point of a three-game road trip for the Rockets. That trip concludes Monday against the Los Angeles Lakers (45-29) in what will be the final back-to-back of the 2024-25 season. After sitting out against the Suns for maintenance purposes, third-year forward Tari Eason is expected to be back in the lineup against the Lakers.

The fourth-seeded Lakers are hot on the heels of the Rockets in the West standings, so Monday’s game could be pivotal for eventual playoff seeding.

More: As 2024-25 winds down, Rockets landing more nationally televised games

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Jalen Green blasts Suns again as Rockets win for 12th time in 13 games

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With 33 points, Jalen Green blasts Suns again as Rockets win for 12th time in 13 games

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