Game ID: 22500290
Houston Rockets @ Phoenix Suns
Monday, November 24, 2025 at 9:30 PM ET
Mortgage Matchup Center, Phoenix, AZ
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
PHX 23 27 25 17 92HOU 30 29 25 30 114
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 11/16 · 2 days' restOUT Green missed 3 since 11/10, out tonight
BACK Brooks back 11/08 after 6, 28 min since (91% of 31)
PHX availability going into 11/18 · 1 day's restOUT Green missed 4 since 11/10, out tonight
BACK Brooks back 11/08 after 6, 30 min since (96% of 31)
PHX availability going into 11/21 · 2 days' restOUT Allen missed 2 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Green missed 5 since 11/10, out tonight
PHX availability going into 11/23 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 3 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Green missed 6 since 11/10, out tonight
PHX availability going into 11/24 · back-to-backOUT Allen missed 4 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Green missed 7 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Bouyea missed 2 since 11/21, returns tonight: 3 min (24% of 13)
OUT Fleming missed 2 since 11/21, returns tonight: 8 min (66% of 12)
PHX availability going into 11/26 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 5 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Green missed 8 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Dunn missed 2 since 11/23, out tonight
BACK Bouyea back 11/24 after 2, 3 min since (24% of 13)
BACK Fleming back 11/24 after 2, 8 min since (66% of 12)
PHX availability going into 11/28 · 1 day's restOUT Allen missed 6 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Green missed 9 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Dunn missed 3 since 11/23, out tonight
BACK Bouyea back 11/24 after 2, 11 min since (83% of 13)
BACK Fleming back 11/24 after 2, 8 min since (66% of 12)
PHX availability going into 11/29 · back-to-backOUT Allen missed 7 since 11/16, returns tonight: 26 min (91% of 28)
OUT Green missed 10 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Dunn missed 4 since 11/23, out tonight
OUT Fleming missed 2 since 11/26, returns tonight: 4 min (32% of 12)
BACK Bouyea back 11/24 after 2, 12 min since (92% of 13)
NEW Goodwin 22 to 28 min over the last 5
PHX availability going into 12/01 · 1 day's restOUT Green missed 11 since 11/10, out tonight
OUT Dunn missed 5 since 11/23, returns tonight: 21 min (110% of 19)
BACK Allen back 11/29 after 7, 26 min since (91% of 28)
BACK Bouyea back 11/24 after 2, 13 min since (97% of 13)
BACK Fleming back 11/24 after 2, 6 min since (49% of 12)
HOU availability going into 11/14 · 1 day's restOUT Finney-Smith missed 10 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/12 after 2, 3 min since (25% of 14)
NEW Okogie 17 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/16 · 1 day's restOUT Finney-Smith missed 11 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/12 after 2, 8 min since (61% of 14)
NEW Okogie 17 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 11/19 · 2 days' restOUT Finney-Smith missed 12 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/12 after 2, 11 min since (79% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/21 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 2 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 13 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/12 after 2, 13 min since (95% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/24 · 2 days' restOUT Eason missed 3 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 14 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/12 after 2, 13 min since (96% of 14)
HOU availability going into 11/26 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 4 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 15 since 10/21, out tonight
HOU availability going into 11/30 · 3 days' restOUT Durant missed 2 since 11/24, returns tonight: 30 min (82% of 36)
OUT Eason missed 5 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 16 since 10/21, out tonight
NEW Holiday 14 to 21 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/01 · back-to-backOUT Eason missed 6 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 17 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/30 after 2, 30 min since (82% of 36)
NEW Holiday 14 to 22 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 12/03 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 7 since 11/16, out tonight
OUT Finney-Smith missed 18 since 10/21, out tonight
BACK Durant back 11/30 after 2, 35 min since (96% of 36)
NEW Holiday 14 to 25 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 109, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Brooks at 25 and Booker at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Allen (4 straight), Green (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Durant at 24 and Sengun at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Eason (3 straight), Finney-Smith (14 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and Phoenix plus-4 and the turnovers, Phoenix giving it away 15 times a game to Houston's 11. Call it Houston 117, Phoenix 116, Phoenix keeping it close.
11/16 vs ATL 122-124 — PHX notes
PHX lost 122-124. PHX took 12 more shots (97 to 85), fed by 16 offensive rebounds, but shot 48% to ATL's 53%, 10 of 30 from three. The glass went 47-34 for them. Brooks led with 34 (14 of 25, 3 of 7 from three); Booker added 27, Gillespie 15. Q3 was theirs, 37-20, but the other 3 periods went 104-85 against them. They led by as many as 22.
11/18 @ POR 127-110 — PHX notes
PHX won 127-110. PHX shot 48% (47 of 98) to POR's 43%, 14 of 40 from three. Booker led with 19 (6 of 13, 6 of 6 at the line); Gillespie added 19, Williams 15. The hinge was Q3, 36-21: a lead of 3 became 18, and the lead reached 25. Dunn was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
11/21 vs MIN 114-113 — PHX notes
PHX won 114-113. PHX shot 48% (39 of 81) to MIN's 45%, 14 of 31 from three. PHX turned it over 27 times to MIN's 19, and MIN turned those into 17 steals. Brooks led with 22 (8 of 17, 4 of 8 from three); Gillespie added 20, Williams 19. The hinge was Q1, 32-24: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 18. Gillespie was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
11/23 vs SAS 111-102 — PHX notes
PHX won 111-102. PHX shot 44% (43 of 97) to SAS's 42%, 14 of 38 from three, and got to the line 16 times to SAS's 34. PHX turned it over 6 times to SAS's 19. Brooks led with 25 (10 of 24, 4 of 12 from three); Booker added 24, Goodwin 15. The hinge was Q3, 37-24: PHX came in trailing by 7 and left it ahead by 6. PHX trailed 49-56 at the half and won the second half 62-46. O'Neale was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
11/24 vs HOU 92-114 — PHX notes
PHX lost 92-114. PHX shot 41% (33 of 80) to HOU's 49%, 13 of 37 from three. PHX turned it over 21 times to HOU's 14, and HOU turned those into 13 steals. Brooks led with 29 (11 of 22, 2 of 8 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Booker added 18, Gillespie 16. Q3 was theirs, 25-25, but the other 3 periods went 89-67 against them. Goodwin's -24 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/26 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; DeRozan at 20 and Murray at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Sabonis (4 straight), Plowden (6 straight), Cardwell (12 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brooks at 24 and Booker at 21 a game. Without Allen (5 straight), Green (8 straight), Dunn (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Phoenix wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-3 a night and Sacramento minus-7 and the defense, Phoenix allowing 113 a night to Sacramento's 122. Call it Phoenix 118, Sacramento 113.
11/28 @ OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
OKC comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 104, shooting 52 percent and 40 from three, 27 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 33 and Holmgren at 15 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Wiggins (10 straight). One day's rest. Phoenix comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brooks at 20 and Booker at 19 a game. Without Allen (6 straight), Green (9 straight), Dunn (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, and the game turns on the line, where OKC takes 27 free throws a game to Phoenix's 21 and the turnovers, Phoenix giving it away 17 times a game to OKC's 13. Call it OKC 118, Phoenix 108, OKC by 10.
11/29 vs DEN — 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 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Brooks at 22 and Booker at 20 a game. Without Allen (7 straight), Green (10 straight), Dunn (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Murray at 26 a game. Without Braun (7 straight), Gordon (3 straight), Pickett (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Phoenix wins, and the game turns on the defense, Phoenix allowing 110 a night to Denver's 122 and the arc, Denver at 41 percent from three to Phoenix's 36. Call it Phoenix 117, Denver 116, Denver keeping it close.
12/01 @ LAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 118, shooting 54 percent and 38 from three, 32 free throws a game; Dončić at 36 and Reaves at 30 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Smart (2 straight), Vanderbilt (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 114, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Brooks at 23 and Booker at 21 a game. Without Green (11 straight), Dunn (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, and the game turns on the line, where the Lakers take 32 free throws a game to Phoenix's 21. Call it the Lakers 120, Phoenix 114.
11/14 vs POR 140-116 — HOU notes
HOU won 140-116. HOU shot 50% (53 of 106) to POR's 47%, 17 of 45 from three, and got to the line 20 times to POR's 27. HOU turned it over 6 times to POR's 20. Durant led with 30 (12 of 19, 3 of 6 from three); Sengun added 25, Smith Jr. 22. The hinge was Q4, 35-25: a lead of 14 became 24, and the lead reached 30. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +37.
11/16 vs ORL 117-113 — HOU notes
HOU won 117-113 in 1 overtime. HOU shot 42% (42 of 100) to ORL's 42%, 8 of 20 from three. HOU turned it over 14 times to ORL's 8, and ORL turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 60-38 for them. Durant led with 35 (13 of 24, 2 of 8 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Sengun added 30, Sheppard 16. The hinge was Q3, 31-25: the deficit went from 9 to 3. HOU trailed 46-55 at the half and won the second half 71-58. Sheppard was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
11/19 @ CLE 114-104 — HOU notes
HOU won 114-104. HOU shot 46% (41 of 90) to CLE's 44%, 9 of 24 from three. The glass went 51-39 for them. Sengun led with 28 (10 of 17, 8 of 10 at the line); Durant added 20, Holiday 18. The hinge was Q1, 33-19: from level to 14 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Smith Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
11/21 vs DEN 109-112 — HOU notes
HOU lost 109-112. HOU took 17 more shots (93 to 76), fed by 18 offensive rebounds, but shot 44% to DEN's 53%, 14 of 36 from three, and got to the line 20 times to DEN's 27. Sheppard led with 27 (9 of 13, 5 of 8 from three, 4 of 6 at the line); Thompson added 22, Smith Jr. 21. Q2 was theirs, 37-21, turning a 13-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 91-72 against them. Sengun's -16 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
11/24 @ PHX 114-92 — HOU notes
HOU won 114-92. HOU shot 49% (43 of 88) to PHX's 41%, 13 of 31 from three. HOU turned it over 14 times to PHX's 21. Thompson led with 28 (10 of 16, 7 of 7 at the line); Holiday added 22, Sengun 18. The hinge was Q4, 30-17: a lead of 9 became 22. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
11/26 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 116, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ste. Curry at 28 and Butler III at 22 a game. Without Kuminga (6 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Durant at 24 and Sengun at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Eason (4 straight), Finney-Smith (15 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and Golden State minus-2 and the turnovers, Golden State giving it away 17 times a game to Houston's 12. Call it Houston 117, Golden State 114, Golden State keeping it close.
11/30 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 129, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 24 free throws a game; George at 28 and Markkanen at 23 a game. Without Kessler (13 straight), Williams (2 straight), Harkless (4 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 104, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Durant at 23 and Sengun at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. Without Durant (2 straight), Eason (5 straight), Finney-Smith (16 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 104 a night to Utah's 129 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and Utah plus-1. Call it Houston 120, Utah 114.
12/01 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 127, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; George at 21 and Markkanen at 20 a game. Without Kessler (14 straight), Williams (3 straight), Harkless (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 102, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Sengun at 21 and Durant at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Eason (6 straight), Finney-Smith (17 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 102 a night to Utah's 127 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-8 a night and Utah minus-0. Call it Houston 120, Utah 112.
12/03 vs SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 108, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 27 free throws a game; Durant at 23 and Sengun at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Eason (7 straight), Finney-Smith (18 straight). One day's rest. Sacramento comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; DeRozan at 20 and Murray at 20 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Sabonis (7 straight), Plowden (9 straight), Schröder (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-5 a night and Sacramento minus-7 and the defense, Houston allowing 108 a night to Sacramento's 118. Call it Houston 121, Sacramento 110, Houston by 11.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
PHXCG C. Gillespie
DB D. Booker
DB D. Brooks
IL I. Livers
JB J. Bouyea
JG J. Goodwin
NH N. Hayes-Davis
NR N. Richards
OI O. Ighodaro
RF R. Fleming
RO R. O'Neale
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Capela
JD J. Davison
JG J. Green
JO J. Okogie
JS J. Smith Jr.
RS R. Sheppard
SA S. Adams
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
Amen Thompson scores 28, Rockets roll past Suns 114-92 despite missing star Kevin Durant
PHOENIX -- — Amen Thompson scored 28 points, Aaron Holiday added 22 off the bench and the Houston Rockets beat the Phoenix Suns 114-92 on Monday night, despite not having star forward Kevin Durant in the lineup for the first time this season.
The Rockets won for the 11th time in 13 games, bouncing back from Friday night's loss to the Nuggets . The Suns three-game winning streak was snapped.
Houston was in control for most of the night, never trailing after early in the first quarter. The Rockets took an 84-75 lead into the fourth and the Suns never got closer than six.
Thompson shot 10 of 16 from the field and added eight assists and seven rebounds. Holiday made six 3-pointers.
Durant — a 15-time All-Star averaging a team-high 24.6 points per game — missed the game for personal reasons .
The matchup was a bit of a letdown after Sunday’s announcement that Durant wasn't playing, delaying his return to the city where he spent the previous 2 1/2 seasons.
The Suns traded Durant to the Rockets during the offseason in a seven-team deal in exchange for Dillon Brooks , Jalen Green and the No. 10 overall pick in the draft, which Phoenix used to select Duke center Khaman Maluach .
Brooks led the Suns with 29 points on 11 of 22 shooting. Devin Booker scored 18 and Collin Gillespie added 16. Phoenix shot 41.3% from the field and had 20 turnovers, which led to 26 points for Houston.
The Rockets took a 59-50 lead into halftime. Holiday scored 12 points for the Rockets before the break. Brooks and Gillespie had 13 for the Suns.
Houston has won five straight games against Phoenix. The Suns' 92 points were a season low.
Up next Rockets: At Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night.