Recap: Houston vs. Phoenix
Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Eric Bledsoe had 20 points and seven assists to lead the Phoenix Suns to a 97-88 victory over the cold-shooting Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
Goran Dragic added 19 points and P.J. Tucker scored 18 as the Suns halted a two-game skid and dealt the Rockets their first defeat at home since Nov. 9.
Playing without a pair of key players in Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik, Houston managed a meager .352 field goal percentage and was held to its lowest scoring output of the season. Top weapon James Harden went 3-for-17 from the floor and 0-for-10 from 3-point range while mustering 14 points.
Dwight Howard posted 15 points and 18 rebounds for the Rockets, who had won six in a row at the Toyota Center. Aaron Brooks finished with 17 points and six assists.
The shorthanded Rockets shot a woeful 29.6 percent during the opening quarter and trailed 25-20 at period's end, and their offensive struggles extended into the second as Phoenix began to increase its margin.
Bledsoe and Tucker netted five points each during a 14-4 push that sent the Suns in front by double digits, with the latter's 3-pointer with 3:09 left in the half putting Houston at a 47-34 deficit. Phoenix led by 14 before Harden was fouled shooting from beyond the arc and hit all three free throws to pull the Rockets within 51-40.
Houston went just 14-of-47 on field goal attempts over the initial two quarters.
The Rockets were able to make some headway in the third quarter, using an 11-2 spurt capped by a Patrick Beverley three to cut the lead to 55-51 near the midway mark of the frame. The differential was just two around four minutes afterward, when Francisco Garcia's triple pulled Houston within 63-61.
Phoenix closed out the quarter on a 10-0 surge, however, with Channing Frye and Tucker draining 3-pointers to begin the flurry, to build a 73-61 lead entering the fourth.
Houston again kept coming, though, outscoring the Suns by a 13-2 spread to open the period and closing the gap to 75-74 on a Brooks three with 7:09 left.
The Suns responded by scoring the next 13 points to pull away, with Marcus Morris providing the dagger with a beyond-the-arc basket that made the score 88-74 with three minutes remaining.
Game Notes
Kyrie Irving scored 23 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers snapped the Denver Nuggets' seven-game winning streak with a 98-88 victory Wednesday night.
Paul George led a balanced Indiana scoring attack with 19 points as the Pacers surged past the Utah Jazz, 95-86, Wednesday at EnergySolutions Arena.
CLEVELAND _ As the Cavaliers begin the process of plugging the holes and bailing the water out of this battleship, the big men might ultimately be the ones that float the Cavs to safety.
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