HOUSTON, Texas — Kevin Durant scored 26 points and his 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to go lifted the Houston Rockets to a 100-97 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.<\/p>\n
The game was tied when Durant drained the 27-footer to give the Rockets the victory over his former team. Durant joined the Rockets from Phoenix this summer in a blockbuster trade that sent Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to the Suns.<\/p>\n
Devin Booker’s 3-point attempt bounced off the rim after Durant gave Houston the lead to end it.<\/p>\n
The Suns had a chance to take the lead before Durant’s game-winner, but Booker’s 3-point attempt was off. Phoenix got the rebound, but the shot clock expired, giving Houston the ball with 5.1 seconds to go.<\/p>\n
Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. added 17 points each to help Houston to its fifth win in six games.<\/p>\n
Booker scored 27 points, and Brooks had 15 for the Suns, whose two-game winning streak ended.<\/p>\n
The Rockets led by seven with less than five minutes left before the Suns used a 10-0 run, with eight points from Booker, to take a 97-94 lead with about 2 1\/2 minutes to go.<\/p>\n
Smith made a free throw with six minutes remaining, but the Rockets hadn’t scored a field goal in almost 4 1\/2 minutes when a three-point play by Thompson tied it with under two minutes remaining.<\/p>\n
Houston’s Alperen Sengun sat out after spraining his right ankle Saturday, and coach Ime Udoka said the big man is expected to miss 10 to 14 days with the injury.<\/p>\n
The game was briefly delayed in the second quarter because of a malfunction with the clocks and scoreboard. Play resumed without either working, and the public address announcer periodically announced the time on the game clock and shot clock.<\/p>\n
The clock and scoreboard began working with about four minutes left in the first half, and the shot clocks were restored for the start of the third quarter.<\/p>\n
Following the game, Durant addressed the media, saying the game-winning shot meant more against the Suns because he said they “kicked him out” after two and a half seasons.<\/p>\n