Phoenix Suns fall short despite big games from Kevin Durant and Bol Bol: Fred VanVleet shoots Houston Rockets to victory

The Phoenix Suns were coming off a devastating loss to their rivals last night, the Dallas Mavericks. Tonight they tried to bounce back but once again, it was the home team from Texas that came out on top.

Fred VanVleet proved why he was a highly sought out free agent this past offseason, as he looked like one of the Splash Brothers on the court in this game. FVV carried the Houston Rockets to a 114-110 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Toyota Center.

The 1-time champion scored a team-high 23 points with 6 made threes. Jabari Smith Jr. had an amazing night as well, finishing with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Alperen Sengun ended with 17 points and 12 rebounds while rookie Amen Thompson recorded 15 points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Jalen Green scored 14 points but shot only 5/13 on the night.

For the Suns, they were without Bradley Beal once again due to a nose injury. Their dynamic duo in Kevin Durant and Devin Booker ended with 28 points and 25 points, respectively. Durant also recorded great supporting stats, finishing with 11 rebounds and 8 assists. Bol Bol had a surprise game off the bench, contributing 25 points and 14 rebounds. Grayson Allen scored 15 points with 3 made threes.

This win improves the Rockets to 25-31, which makes them 12th in the Western Conference. Houston is now 4 games behind the 10th seeded Warriors for the last spot in the play-in tournament. They are 3-7 over their last 10 games and will play against the OKC Thunder on Sunday night.

Meanwhile, this loss drops the Suns to 33-24, which makes them 8th in the Western Conference. Phoenix is now 0.5 games behind the 6th seeded Mavs for the last guaranteed playoff spot. They are 6-4 over their last 10 games and currently on a 2-game losing streak. Their next game will be on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Lakers where they’ll look to bounce back.