Suns 102-99 Rockets: Booker's nine straight decide a game Houston owned on the boards

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Fifteen offensive rebounds, eight blocks, 46-44 on the boards — and the team that owned the glass still lost. Houston did the heavy lifting at Footprint Centre all evening and walked out of Phoenix beaten 102-99 anyway.

The Suns built it early: 35-23 in the opening quarter, a cushion that swelled to 19 points, and 31:38 of the night spent in front against Houston's 9:37. The Rockets punched back with 24-12 in the second quarter — neither side strung together more than 11 points in a row — and the game was thin again by the break. Phoenix nudged ahead with 29-28 in the third and 26-24 in the fourth, never letting the margin fully collapse.

The finish ran through one jersey. Phoenix's last nine points all belonged to Devin Booker: a two at 95-93, another at 97-95, a three at 100-95, then one more at 102-95. Amen Thompson trimmed it to 102-97 — one of his 17 points — and Kevin Durant's make set the final margin at 102-99.

Booker's full line was stranger than the burst: 24 points, 3 steals, 3 assists, 42% from the floor — and a minus-7 in a game Phoenix won. The Suns banked on movement instead, 29 assists to Houston's 16, with Jalen Green adding 16 points and 6 assists on 50% shooting. Durant closed at 21 points, 10 rebounds and plus-8, on a 36% night; VanVleet was plus-11 with 16; Jabari Smith Jr. put up 15 points and 9 rebounds. Amen Thompson handed out zero assists but blocked four of Houston's eight shots, and the turnover count stayed razor-tight at 15-14.

Crash the glass all you want. The last nine points belonged to Phoenix.