Phoenix All-Stars Devin Booker and Houston rookie Cam Whitmore got into a little fight in the fourth quarter Thursday night, and both were punished for technical fouls.
Suns center Jusuf Nurkic backed up his star teammate with a couple of massive blocks on the next play.
Booker scored 35 points, Kevin Durant added 24, and the Suns defeated the Rockets 110-105. The clubs will battle again in Phoenix on Saturday night.
Nurkic finished with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks before fouling out. His best moment came in the fourth, when he stuffed Whitmore twice on the possession following the fight, eliciting raucous cheers from the Phoenix crowd.
“Very important — that’s the team sticking together,” Booker went on to say. “It goes a long way. That’s what you need when things get tough; you’re right in the heart of it, and your energy is high. You want to know that you have folks on your team who are built that way.
Booker scored 20 points in the opening quarter, helping the Suns build an 18-point advantage that they never relinquished. This season, he has scored at least 20 points in six quarters, the most in the NBA.
Bradley Beal, a three-time All-Star, missed his fifth consecutive game due to a hamstring issue.
The Suns took an 86-75 lead into the fourth quarter. Houston reduced the margin to six midway through the fourth, but Booker responded quickly with a three-pointer to restore the lead to nine.
This resulted in the brief skirmish between Booker and Whitmore. Tempers remained high for the following few minutes, as Houston’s Alperen Sengun fouled out and received two quick technicals, earning him an ejection.
Booker made both technical free throws, and Nurkic followed with two free throws following Sengun’s foul, extending the Suns’ advantage to 99–84. The Rockets trimmed the margin to four with 16.9 seconds remaining, but Royce O’Neale made two free throws to stop the threat.
Jalen Green led Houston with 34 points. Fred VanVleet added 21. The Rockets made just 11 of 45 three-pointers and shot 33.3% from the field overall, their lowest 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 last ten games, including nine in a row at home, as it strives to remain in the top six in the Western Conference playoff race and escape the play-in round. The Rockets have lost eight of ten.
“We’re getting confident in this building,” Suns coach Frank Vogel said.
Booker’s huge first quarter gave the Suns a 33-17 advantage. The four-time All-Star made 8 of 10 field-goal attempts, including a 33-foot 3-pointer in the closing seconds.
Phoenix settled for a 64-53 halftime lead. Before the break, Booker had 26 points and Green led Houston with 21.