Suns 99, Rockets 86
SUNS 99, ROCKETS 86: Michael Redd scored a season-high 25 points as host Phoenix won its fourth straight game.
Channing Frye scored 19 points, Marcin Gortat had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Steve Nash had 11 assists as the Suns won for the 11th time in 14 games.
Luis Scola scored 18 points and Goran Dragic had 16 points and eight assists for Houston, which scored just 13 first-quarter points while losing its second consecutive game.
The victory allowed the surging Suns to move within a half-game of the Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Redd connected on 10 of 13 shots in his best performance in 30 games with the Suns. Redd played in just 61 games over the previous three seasons due to two career-threatening left knee injuries suffered with the Milwaukee Bucks.
Phoenix led 26-13 after one quarter. Houston made its first three shots of the game before missing its next 10 and going 5 1/2 minutes without scoring as the Suns rolled off 14 consecutive points.
Phoenix led by as many as 21 points in the second quarter and had a 52-36 halftime lead.
Patrick Patterson scored 13 points, Samuel Dalembert added 12 points and Chase Budinger tallied 11 for Houston.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Redd entered the contest with a 6.7 scoring average. ... Nash has 10 or more assists in each of his last seven games. … Rockets guard Kevin Martin (shoulder) missed his fourth straight game. … The Suns committed just nine turnovers. … Houston is expected to reach a buyout agreement with recently acquired guard Derek Fisher, allowing him to become a free agent.