Booker Scores 24 as Suns Hold Off Rockets 102-99 in Phoenix

The Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 102-99 on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Mortgage Matchup Center in Phoenix. Devin Booker scored 24 points, and Phoenix held on after Kevin Durant missed a 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left that would have tied the game.

The game was played before a sellout crowd of 17,071. The Arizona Republic report put Phoenix at 3-5 and Houston at 7-3 after the result. Sportradar also listed the game as final at 102-99, confirming the score independently.

Booker shot 10 of 24 from the field and finished with 2 rebounds and 3 assists in the box score recap. His closing run decided the game. He scored nine straight points to give the Suns a 102-95 lead with 2:30 left, a cushion Phoenix needed as Houston cut into it in the final seconds.

Green against his former team

Jalen Green had 16 points and six assists for Phoenix, on 7 of 14 shooting in the ClutchPoints recap. He did it against his former team. Green came to Phoenix in the trade that sent Durant from Phoenix to Houston, a deal that also sent Dillon Brooks and the 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft, Khaman Maluach, to the Suns.

Durant posted 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead Houston. It was his second game in Phoenix since that trade. His last chance was the 3-pointer with 10.6 seconds left, and it missed.

Before the game, Suns coach Jordan Ott described what veteran guard Fred VanVleet brings to a team. "Just more of a calming presence. A veteran leader and then, an elite 3-point shooter," Ott said.

A 19-point lead disappears

Phoenix led by as many as 19 points in the first half and led 35-23 after the first quarter. Then the Suns scored only 12 points in the second quarter.

Houston went on a 22-3 run beginning with 7:52 left in the first half and tied the game 47-47 at halftime. The quarter scores were Houston 23, 24, 28 and 24, and Phoenix 35, 12, 29 and 26.

Houston had won eight straight games against Phoenix going back to the 2023-24 season before losing on Saturday. The Rockets swept the season series 4-0 last season.

Absences and what comes next

Phoenix played without Jordan Goodwin, listed under right calf injury management, and Mark Williams, who is recovering from left shoulder surgery. Houston ruled out Steven Adams with a right soleus strain and Clint Capela with a right ankle sprain, among others listed in the report.

Phoenix continues its seven-game homestand on November 9 against San Antonio. For one night, the story was simpler. Booker closed the game himself, and Durant's tying shot did not fall.