PHOENIX (AP) \u2014 Kevin Durant scored 24 points in his return to Phoenix and the Houston Rockets rallied from an early 21-point deficit and pulled away late to beat the Phoenix Suns 119-105 on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
The Rockets are on a seven-game winning streak and moved into a tie with the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 4 spot in the Western Conference playoff race.<\/p>\n
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All five Houston starters scored in double figures. Durant made 5 of 9 3-pointers.<\/p>\n
Durant, a 16-time All-Star, was greeted with a mix of boos and cheers by Suns fans when he was announced as part of the Rockets’ starting lineup. He was traded to the Rockets<\/a> during the offseason after spending 2 1\/2 seasons in the desert in a package that brought Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to the Suns.<\/p>\n The Suns jumped out to a 26-5 lead midway through the first quarter, hitting 10 of their first 15 shots, but the Rockets cut the deficit to 57-54 by halftime. Houston led early in the third quarter but Phoenix rallied to take an 84-81 into the fourth.<\/p>\n Houston scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to push back into the lead and didn\u2019t trail again. Durant hit a 3-pointer to put Rockets up 111-96 with 4:14 left.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Devin Booker scored 31 points for the Suns. The Rockets finished with a 55-34 rebounding edge.<\/p>\n Durant came to the Suns in 2023 as part of a four-team trade deadline deal<\/a> just hours after Mat Ishbia officially took the reins of the franchise<\/a> as a majority owner. The splashy move was widely praised at the time, but the Suns were never able to advance past the second round of the playoffs during his tenure.<\/p>\n Up next<\/p>\n Rockets: Host the 76ers on Thursday.<\/p>\n Suns: Host the Mavericks on Wednesday.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n