Rockets 127, Suns 118
James Harden scored half of his 40 points in the fourth quarter and tallied 12 rebounds and nine assists as visiting Houston pulled away from Phoenix down the stretch.
Josh Smith added 20 points and six rebounds off the bench and Patrick Beverley finished with 15 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Rockets. Corey Brewer scored 14 additional points for the reserves and Donatas Motiejunas finished with 12 points for the Rockets.
Eric Bledsoe of the Suns scored 32 points after missing the previous game for the birth of his first child. Goran Dragic finished with 20 points, P.J. Tucker had 17 points and seven rebounds and Markieff Morris scored 16 for Phoenix.
The Rockets gave back an 18-point lead after the opening quarter and fell behind by as many as eight just past the midway point of the third before regaining separation early in the fourth. Smith and Brewer sank 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to spark an 11-0 run that gave the Rockets a 107-95 lead with 7:11 left in the game, which proved to be enough of a cushion even after Bledsoe pulled Phoenix within four with a 3-pointer with 3:32 on the clock.
The Rockets scored 41 points and led by 18 after the first quarter, the most points they scored in any quarter this season. Phoenix’s bench helped pull the Suns back within seven before Harden and the starters began checking back in, and his 3-pointer with a second before halftime gave the Rockets a 70-61 lead at the break.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Houston F Terrence Jones missed the game with flu-like symptoms. … The Suns had 12 turnovers in first half before finishing with 14. … Harden scored 45 points in the previous game against the Portland Trail Blazers, making him and Oklahoma City Thunder G Russell Westbrook the only players to score at least 40 points in back-to-back games this season.