Rockets 99, Suns 81
Kevin Martin scored 16 points in 17 minutes as the host Houston Rockets jumped out early and cruised to a 99-81 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Friday.
Kyle Lowry collected five points, nine assists and eight rebounds and Luis Scola chipped in 14 points and eight boards for the Rockets, who had dropped their previous two games. Houston, which is 3-7 on the road, embarks on a six-game road trip.
Houston jumped out quickly on Friday, opening up a 59-39 lead at the half behind 11 points from Martin. The Rockets, who had struggled on the defensive end in their last two games, held Steve Nash scoreless before the break.
The Suns have not had their usual high-scoring attack this season and could not mount any sort of a comeback after the break.
Houston ended up pulling most of its starters in the third and no one on the team played more than 24 minutes.
Nash finished with six points and nine assists and Marcin Gortat collected 15 points and 12 rebounds for Phoenix.