Rockets 116, Suns 100
PHOENIX -- Guard James Harden scored 16 of his 27 points from the free throw line and forward Trevor Ariza added 25 points as the Houston Rockets got back to .500 with a 116-100 victory over the reeling Phoenix Suns on Friday night.
Guard Patrick Beverley added 18 points and center Dwight Howard had 15 points for Houston (28-28), which snapped the three-game losing streak it took into the All-Star break.
The Rockets, who made 35 of 56 free throws in the game, took control with a 20-5 run late in the second quarter and never looked back.
Reserve forward Mirza Teletovic had a season-high 25 points for the Suns (14-41), who have lost a season-high 10 straight games. Phoenix has dropped 25 of 27 games since Dec. 20, the worst 27-game stretch in the history of the franchise.
Forward Kris Humphries, acquired from the Washington Wizards in the Markieff Morris deal on Thursday, had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in his first game with the Suns. Forward Jon Leuer added 16 points for Phoenix.
Interim coach Earl Watson is 0-6 since replacing Jeff Hornacek, with all of the losses coming at home.
The Suns were fresh out of centers by halftime. Alex Len missed the game with a sprained right ankle and Tyson Chandler, who started in Len's place, left with a strained right shoulder in the second quarter and didn't return.
Phoenix had a good start. Falling behind 12-7 midway through the first quarter, Teletovic delivered eight points in the final 3:22 and the Suns outscored the Rockets 10-2 to take a 24-21 lead.
Beverley had six points for the Rockets, who missed 15 of 22 shots from the field, including all six 3-pointers.
The Suns still led 36-33 with 6:18 left before the Rockets found their stride. Ariza had 13 points in the quarter and the Rockets outscored the Suns 20-5 in the next six minutes, with Harden capping the run with three free throws with 35.3 seconds left to make it 56-41 Rockets.
Humphries arrived in Phoenix late Friday afternoon but still produced seven points and a team-high eight rebounds by halftime.
The Rockets iced the outcome with an 18-4 run to open the third quarter. Harden had seven points during the run.
The Suns never got closer than 20 points until Houston emptied its bench with 4:54 left and a 102-79 lead.
NOTES: Suns C Alex Len (sprained right ankle) sat out the game, and Tyson Chandler got the start. ... G Ronnie Price (big right toe surgery, played for the first time since mid-January. ... With F Terrence Jones (concussion) out, the Rockets dressed 11 players after dealing G Marcus Thornton and F Donatas Motiejunas to Detroit in a three-way deal. "The way we are now, I think our rotation is a little more concrete," Houston interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "We've lost a little bit of depth so guys are going to have to play more and play different spots, especially now with limited bigs." ... After F Markieff Morris was traded to Washington Thursday, G Devin Booker, the NBA's youngest player, is now the No. 1 scoring option for the injury-riddled Suns. "We have to keep him humble. We tell him he's option 1-A," interim coach Earl Watson said. ... New F Kris Humphries arrived in Phoenix late Friday afternoon but suited up for the game. "I've known Kris a long time, so, yeah, I'll throw him in the game," Watson said. "Maybe at the point, I don't know." ... Watson and Bickerstaff are the youngest coaches in the NBA at 36. Watson is three months younger.