Game ID: 22300854
Houston Rockets @ Phoenix Suns
Thursday, February 29, 2024 at 9:00 PM ET
Footprint Center, Phoenix, AZ
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHX 33 31 22 24 110HOU 17 36 22 30 105
HOU @ PHX ScoutingHOU @ PHX Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
PHX availability going into 2/14 · back-to-backBACK Bol back 2/04 after 11, 12 min since (108% of 11)
PHX availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' rest
full strength
PHX availability going into 2/23 · back-to-backOUT Beal missed 2 since 2/14, out tonight
PHX availability going into 2/25 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 3 since 2/14, out tonight
PHX availability going into 2/29 · 3 days' restOUT Beal missed 4 since 2/14, out tonight
NEW Bol 11 to 17 min over the last 4
PHX availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restOUT Beal missed 5 since 2/14, returns tonight: 20 min (60% of 34)
OUT Gordon missed 2 since 2/25, out tonight
NEW Bol 11 to 22 min over the last 4
PHX availability going into 3/03 · back-to-backOUT Gordon missed 3 since 2/25, returns tonight: 30 min (109% of 28)
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 5, 20 min since (60% of 34)
NEW Bol 11 to 22 min over the last 4
PHX availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restBACK Beal back 3/02 after 5, 27 min since (80% of 34)
BACK Gordon back 3/03 after 3, 30 min since (109% of 28)
NEW O'Neale 25 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Bol 11 to 19 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Booker missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
OUT Okogie missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
BACK Beal back 3/02 after 5, 30 min since (89% of 34)
BACK Gordon back 3/03 after 3, 26 min since (93% of 28)
NEW O'Neale 25 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Bol 11 to 16 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/22 · 7 days' restOUT VanVleet missed 5 since 2/06, returns tonight: 30 min (83% of 37)
OUT Whitmore missed 3 since 2/10, returns tonight: 24 min (130% of 19)
OUT Landale missed 2 since 2/12, returns tonight: 12 min (88% of 14)
NEW Thompson 22 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 16 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/23 · back-to-backBACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 30 min since (83% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 24 min since (130% of 19)
BACK Landale back 2/10 after 2, 12 min since (91% of 14)
NEW Thompson 22 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Holiday 16 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/25 · 1 day's restBACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 33 min since (91% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 22 min since (120% of 19)
BACK Landale back 2/10 after 2, 12 min since (91% of 14)
NEW Thompson 22 to 33 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Tate missed 2 since 2/23, returns tonight: 2 min (16% of 16)
BACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 35 min since (95% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 21 min since (110% of 19)
BACK Landale back 2/22 after 2, 7 min since (50% of 14)
NEW Thompson 22 to 31 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/29 · 1 day's restBACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 35 min since (96% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 19 min since (104% of 19)
BACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 2 min since (16% of 16)
BACK Landale back 2/22 after 2, 5 min since (39% of 14)
HOU availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restBACK VanVleet back 2/22 after 5, 36 min since (98% of 37)
BACK Whitmore back 2/22 after 3, 21 min since (112% of 19)
BACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 2 min since (16% of 16)
BACK Landale back 2/22 after 2, 6 min since (48% of 14)
HOU availability going into 3/05 · 2 days' restOUT Tate missed 2 since 2/29, out tonight
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 38 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Tate missed 3 since 2/29, returns tonight: 6 min (36% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restBACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 4 min since (26% of 16)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 32 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Booker at 23 a game. Without Beal (4 straight). 3 days' rest. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 119, shooting 41 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Sengun at 20 and Smith Jr. at 15 a game. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the line, where Phoenix takes 32 free throws a game to Houston's 26 and the arc, Phoenix at 37 percent from three to Houston's 33. Call it Phoenix 118, Houston 111.
2/14 vs DET 116-100 — PHX notes
PHX won 116-100. PHX shot 45% (35 of 77) to DET's 38%, 10 of 31 from three, and went to the line 44 times to DET's 22 — 36 points from the stripe to their 14. Durant led with 25 (8 of 13, 1 of 3 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Lee added 16, Gordon 13. The hinge was Q2, 33-16: a lead of 12 became 29, and the lead reached 35. O'Neale was the night's best plus/minus at +37.
2/22 @ DAL 113-123 — PHX notes
PHX lost 113-123. PHX shot 48% (40 of 83) to DAL's 48%, 15 of 36 from three. PHX turned it over 16 times to DAL's 10, and DAL turned those into 10 steals. Booker led with 35 (13 of 21, 2 of 6 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Durant added 23, Gordon 16. Q2 was theirs, 30-28, but the other 3 periods went 95-83 against them. They led by as many as 11. Okogie's -15 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/23 @ HOU 110-114 — PHX notes
PHX lost 110-114. PHX shot 40% (38 of 95) to HOU's 40%, 7 of 31 from three. Durant led with 28 (10 of 22, 1 of 7 from three, 7 of 10 at the line); Booker added 25, Bol 25. Q4 was theirs, 34-25, the deficit cut from 13 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 89-76 against them. They led by as many as 16. O'Neale's -23 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/25 vs LAL 123-113 — PHX notes
PHX won 123-113. PHX shot 47% (44 of 93) to LAL's 52%, 17 of 40 from three, and went to the line 19 times to LAL's 8 — 18 points from the stripe to their 4. The glass went 51-34 for them. Allen led with 24 (8 of 17, 6 of 12 from three); Durant added 22, Booker 21. The hinge was Q1, 45-28: from level to 17 ahead, and the lead reached 20. O'Neale was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
2/29 vs HOU 110-105 — PHX notes
PHX won 110-105. PHX shot 40% (36 of 89) to HOU's 33%, 13 of 37 from three, and went to the line 37 times to HOU's 31 — 25 points from the stripe to their 28. Booker led with 35 (13 of 27, 6 of 11 from three); Durant added 24, Nurkić 16. The hinge was Q1, 33-17: from level to 16 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Bol was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
3/02 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 32 free throws a game; Booker at 25 and Durant at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Beal (5 straight), Gordon (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 116, shooting 39 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Sengun at 17 and Ja. Green at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-4 a night and Houston minus-1 and the arc, Phoenix at 35 percent from three to Houston's 31. Call it Phoenix 117, Houston 109.
3/03 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 29 free throws a game; Booker at 28 and Durant at 25 a game. Without Gordon (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 110, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 32 and Holmgren at 22 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, OKC at 43 percent from three to Phoenix's 35 and the line, where Phoenix takes 29 free throws a game to OKC's 19. Call it OKC 118, Phoenix 114, Phoenix keeping it close.
3/05 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 104, shooting 53 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Porter Jr. at 22 a game. That is 5 straight wins. 2 days' rest. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 114, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 28 free throws a game; Booker at 26 and Durant at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the line, where Phoenix takes 28 free throws a game to Denver's 17 and the defense, Denver allowing 104 a night to Phoenix's 114. Call it Denver 116, Phoenix 110.
3/07 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Booker at 27 and Durant at 26 a game. Without Booker (2 straight), Okogie (2 straight). One day's rest. Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 125, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Barrett at 22 and Quickley at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Brown (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-4 a night and Toronto minus-6 and the defense, Phoenix allowing 112 a night to Toronto's 125. Call it Phoenix 120, Toronto 112.
2/22 @ NOP 105-127 — HOU notes
HOU lost 105-127. HOU shot 44% (36 of 82) to NOP's 52%, 15 of 41 from three, and went to the line 28 times to NOP's 18 — 18 points from the stripe to their 11. HOU turned it over 22 times to NOP's 13, and NOP turned those into 16 steals. Thompson led with 22 (9 of 13, 1 of 3 from three); Sengun added 20, Whitmore 13. Q4 was theirs, 26-26, but the other 3 periods went 101-79 against them. VanVleet's -21 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/23 vs PHX 114-110 — HOU notes
HOU won 114-110. HOU shot 40% (37 of 93) to PHX's 40%, 15 of 45 from three. VanVleet led with 23 (7 of 15, 6 of 14 from three); Smith Jr. added 22, Sengun 17. The hinge was Q2, 37-24: HOU came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 5.
2/25 vs OKC 110-123 — HOU notes
HOU lost 110-123. HOU shot 41% (38 of 93) to OKC's 47%, 16 of 41 from three, and went to the line 23 times to OKC's 15 — 18 points from the stripe to their 14. HOU turned it over 18 times to OKC's 9, and OKC turned those into 12 steals. Smith Jr. led with 20 (6 of 15, 4 of 9 from three); VanVleet added 20, Sengun 19. Q1 was theirs, 34-31, but the other 3 periods went 92-76 against them. They led by as many as 16. Brooks's -20 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/27 @ OKC 95-112 — HOU notes
HOU lost 95-112. HOU shot 39% (37 of 95) to OKC's 47%, 9 of 39 from three. Sengun led with 23 (8 of 13, 7 of 12 at the line); Smith Jr. added 18, Ja. Green 16. Q1 was theirs, 29-28, but the other 3 periods went 84-66 against them. VanVleet's -17 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
2/29 @ PHX 105-110 — HOU notes
HOU lost 105-110. HOU took 10 more shots (99 to 89), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 33% to PHX's 40%, 11 of 45 from three, and got to the line 31 times to PHX's 37. Ja. Green led with 34 (10 of 28, 7 of 17 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); VanVleet added 21, Whitmore 14. Q4 was theirs, 30-24, the deficit cut from 11 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 86-75 against them. Sengun's -17 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/02 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 111, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 32 free throws a game; Booker at 25 and Durant at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Beal (5 straight), Gordon (2 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 116, shooting 39 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Sengun at 17 and Ja. Green at 17 a game. That is 3 straight losses. One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-4 a night and Houston minus-1 and the arc, Phoenix at 35 percent from three to Houston's 31. Call it Phoenix 117, Houston 109.
3/05 vs SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 113, shooting 39 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 22 and VanVleet at 19 a game. Without Tate (2 straight). 2 days' rest. San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 19 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 25 and Vassell at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, San Antonio at 42 percent from three to Houston's 32 and the line, where Houston takes 26 free throws a game to San Antonio's 19. Call it Houston 116, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
3/06 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 111, shooting 41 percent and 30 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 24 and Sengun at 23 a game. Without Tate (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. The Clippers come in 2-3 over their last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Leonard at 24 and George at 22 a game. Without Westbrook (2 straight), Tucker (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-1 a night and the Clippers minus-3. Call it Houston 113, the Clippers 112, the Clippers keeping it close.
3/08 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 19 free throws a game; Simons at 25 and Grant at 15 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Sharpe (24 straight), Ayton (4 straight), Henderson (7 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 111, shooting 42 percent and 31 from three, 21 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 24 and Sengun at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Portland wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Portland giving it away 17 times a game to Houston's 10 and the arc, Portland at 38 percent from three to Houston's 31. Call it Portland 112, Houston 111, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXBB B. Bol
DB D. Booker
DE D. Eubanks
GA G. Allen
JN J. Nurkić
JO J. Okogie
KD K. Durant
NU Nurkic
RO R. O'Neale
SL S. Lee
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CW C. Whitmore
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JG Ja. Green
RB R. Bullock Jr.
PHX/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Devin Booker scores 35 points, Kevin Durant adds 24 to help the Suns beat the Rockets, 110-105
PHOENIX -- — Phoenix All-Star Devin Booker and Houston rookie Cam Whitmore got into a minor scuffle midway through the fourth quarter Thursday night and both players were called for a technical foul.
With a couple big blocks on the ensuing possession, Suns center Jusuf Nurkic was there to back his star teammate.
Booker scored 35 points, Kevin Durant added 24 and the Suns held off the Rockets 110-105, with the teams set to meet again in Phoenix on Saturday night.
Nurkic had 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks before fouling out. His biggest moment came in the fourth, when he stuffed Whitmore twice on the possession following the scuffle, drawing huge roars from the Phoenix crowd.
“Very important — that's the team sticking together,” Booker said. “That goes a long way. That's what you need when things get tough, it gets to the thick of things and the energy is high. You want to know you have people on your team that are built like that.”
Booker scored 20 points in the first quarter to help give the Suns an 18-point lead they would never relinquish. He has scored at least 20 points in an NBA-high six quarters this season.
Three-time All-Star Bradley Beal missed his fifth straight game because of a hamstring injury.
The Suns took an 86-75 lead into the final quarter. Houston cut the advantage to six midway through the fourth, but Booker responded immediately with a 3-pointer to push the lead back to nine.
That led to the brief skirmish between Booker and Whitmore. Tempers stayed hot over the next few minutes — Houston's Alperen Sengun fouled out and then got two quick technicals, earning an ejection.
Booker hit both of the technical free throws, Nurkic followed with his two free throws from Sengun's foul, and that pushed the Suns' lead to 99-84. The Rockets would cut the lead to four with 16.9 seconds left, but Royce O'Neale hit two free throws to end the threat.
Jalen Green led Houston with 34 points. Fred VanVleet added 21. The Rockets connected on just 11 of 45 3-pointers and shot 33.3% from the field overall, which was their worst percentage of the season.
“It wasn't one of our better nights as far as guys getting open looks and making the extra pass,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “We had a few guys who had it going, but a few guys who were struggling.”
Phoenix has won seven of its past 10 — and nine in a row at home — as it tries to stay in the top six of the Western Conference playoff race and avoid the play-in tournament. The sliding Rockets have lost eight of 10.
“We're getting confident in this building,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said.
Booker's big first quarter pushed the Suns to a 33-17 lead. The four-time All-Star made 8 of 10 shots from the field, including a 33-foot 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Phoenix settled for a 64-53 halftime lead. Booker had 26 points before the break while Green led Houston with 21.