Rockets bounce back, beat Suns
PHOENIX -- Houston guard James Harden had 27 points and 14 assists and made five of Houston's 18 3-pointers when the Rockets recovered from their first December loss with a 125-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Wednesday.
Rockets guard Eric Gordon had 24 points and made seven-of-13 3-pointers, and forward Ryan Anderson had 15 points and three threes.
Houston (22-8) has made at least 10 3-pointers in 28 of its last 29 games, falling short only in a 102-100 loss to San Antonio that broke a 10-game winning streak Tuesday.
The Rockets are 11-1 in December, with victories over Golden State and Oklahoma City. They play five more games in a busy month, including games against Memphis the Clippers and New York.
Guard Devin Booker had 28 points and reserve guard Brandon Knight had 17 for the Suns (8-21), who have lost four in a row and eight of 10.
Suns forward T.J. Warren had 19 points and five rebounds in 29 minutes, the most he has scored and played in three games since returning from an unspecified head injury.
Houston made 11 of its first 14 field goal attempts in the fourth quarter and opened its biggest lead, 120-100, when Harden made consecutive threes with about five minutes remaining.
Harden had seven assists in the first quarter and 11 at half own route to extend his career-high string of double-doubles to nine.
Patrick Beverley had 18 points and Montrezl Harrell had 17 and the Rockets placed seven players in double figures.
The Suns led for only 27 seconds, that after a 20-7 run for a 49-47 lead late in the second quarter.
The Suns took their only lead when Booker capped a 20-7 run with two free to make it 49-47 with 3:15 left in the first half. Knight had 11 points in that stretch, including a 3-pointer. Anderson hit a 3-pointer on the Rockets' next possession.
Harden accounted for the final nine points of the half on two driving layups and two assists for a 61-55 lead. Harden had nine points and 11 assists at halftime. His career high is 17.
NOTES: Houston G James Harden and Suns G Eric Bledsoe were two of the five NBA players averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. Milwaukee F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cleveland F LeBron James and Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook are the others. The last Suns player to average 20/5/5 was F Charles Barkley in his 1992-93 MVP season. ... Houston had 423 3-pointers in its first 29 games, shattering an NBA record. Golden State had the previous record with 366 threes in 2015-16. The Rockets made at least 10 3-pointers in 27 straight games before hitting six in a 102-100 loss to San Antonio on Tuesday. ... Suns C Tyson Chandler, in his 16th season, was averaging 11.8 rebounds per game. Only Charles Barkley and Moses Malone averaged more than 10 rebounds a game in their 16th season.