On the morning of February 17, 2022, Beijing time, the NBA regular season ushered in a focus match in the East, the Suns vs Rockets. As a result, the Suns reversed the Rockets 27-32, 32-35, 30-28, 35-26, the total score of 124-121, this game was very fierce, the Rockets played three good games, the best time, the Rockets had a 13-2 attack wave, did not expect to collapse in the last moment, it was too much of a pity.
Before the game, the Suns were no. 1 in the West with a record of 47 wins and 10 losses, and the Rockets were 15th in the West with a record of 15 wins and 41 losses. In the previous meetings between the two teams, the Suns had an overwhelming advantage of 6 wins and 2 losses, especially in the last 6 rounds of games, the Suns maintained a total victory over the Rockets.
Judging by their recent form, the Suns seem unstoppable, winning 6 straight. The Rockets have been in a bad situation lately, winning just one of their last 10 games and recently losing five straight, the longest losing streak this season.
Let's take a look at the starting lineups of the two teams: The Suns: Payton, Paul, Johnson, Crowder and Craig; rockets: Tate, Schroeder, Gordon, Shinkin and Green.
In the first quarter, the two teams played more stiffly, Ayton and Tate two big scorers were not divided, but in the final moments of the first quarter, the Rockets suddenly exploded, and immediately locked the score at 32-27.
In the second quarter, the Rockets played a wonderful match that was rare this season, and the combination between Shin Kyung and Tate was also very smooth, and finally in the second quarter, the Rockets continued to lead 35-32, and the total score reached 67-59. In this quarter, Tate, known as the league's number one defense, was in no man's land, and his two-handed dunk was impressive.
Half-time scoring:
Suns: Bridges 5 points, 4 rebounds, Crowder 7 points and 4 rebounds, Ayton 9 points and 5 rebounds, Booker 9 points, Paul 11 points, 5 assists and 2 steals, Cameron Johnson 5 points, Holliday 4 points and 4 assists, McGee 5 points and 5 rebounds, Craig 4 points and 1 rebound;
Rockets: Gordon 10 points, Tate 16 points and 7 rebounds, Sagu 9 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists, Jaylen Green 12 points, Schroder 6 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists, Matthews 6 points, Martin Jr. 5 points and 4 rebounds, Nwaba 1 point and 2 rebounds, Christopher 2 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
In the third quarter, the Rockets continued to play steadily, but also failed to pull the score apart, the point difference between the two teams is always at six or seven points, it should be said that the Rockets are slightly careless, they will be overtaken by the Suns. Paul of the Suns was still complaining to the referee, and was expelled from the 2T, and his hand seemed to be poked. Finally, in the 3rd quarter, the Suns chased back 2 points at 30-28, and the overall score became 89-95 behind.
In the fourth quarter, the Suns fought back, Ayton and Booker teamed up to save the situation, and in the final moments of the game, the Suns chased the score to 118-114, and there were 22 seconds left in the game. In the final four seconds, Eric Gordon hit a 3-pointer, and the Rockets chased the total score to 121-122, and through foul tactics, Booker hit two free throws to make the score 124-121. Finally, in the fourth quarter, the Suns locked the score here and achieved a reversal.
In this game, the Rockets also set 2 humiliating records. First, the Suns maintained a seven-game winning streak against the Rockets, the last time the Rockets beat the Suns, goes back to the 2019 season; second, the Rockets suffered the longest losing streak of the season, reaching 6 games, which is also the first time since the beginning of 2022 to reach this humiliating record.