Suns 119, Rockets 112
PHOENIX -- Goran Dragic had 21 points and 14 assists, and the Phoenix Suns ran past the Houston Rockets 119-112 Monday night to snap a seven-game home losing streak.
Phoenix's Luis Scola scored 26 points -- 21 in the first half. P.J. Tucker had 21, and Markieff Morris finished with 20 points, seven rebounds, six blocks and five steals in the home finale for the Suns (25-56), who won just the third time in their past 18 games.
Chandler Parsons scored 24, Carlos Delfino added 23, Jeremy Lin had 20 and James Harden finished with 16 for the Rockets (45-36). Houston split the four-game season series with the Suns and came within a Jermaine O'Neal goaltending call a week ago from dropping three of four.
Lin gave Houston its biggest lead of the game, 55-50, with 5:11 left in the first half. Tucker, Wes Johnson and Jared Dudley then hit consecutive layups to edge the Suns in front 56-55, and Phoenix never looked back.
Phoenix led by six at halftime and pushed the lead to eight on an early layup by Morris, only to see Harden and Parsons pull the Rockets close. Parsons converted a three-point play, then added an 11-footer, and Harden made two free throws to make it 75-71 with 8:24 left in the third.
The Suns answered quickly, scoring five straight points, capped by a Morris layup, and eventually stretched it to a 90-78 lead with 1:12 left in the third.
Houston made a final run, cutting Phoenix's lead to 103-101 on a driving layup by Patrick Beverley with 6:20 to go. However, Morris rebounded his own blocked shot to start a 6-0 run to put the Suns back ahead 109-101 with 4:54 left.
The game was increasingly physical in the second half. Beverley finished with five stitches above his eye courtesy of a Dragic elbow, and Dragic needed three stitches over his left eye after taking an elbow from Harden while drawing a charging call.
NOTES: The Suns' 39 first-quarter points were a season high for a single period. Phoenix also set a season high with 65 points in the first half. ... Dragic recorded nine assists on the Suns' 16 first-quarter field goals and secured his 20th double-double of the season before the half was over. ... Houston coach Kevin McHale reached deep into his bench, using 11 players in the first half. ... Harden banged knees with Suns F Luis Scola with 4:44 left in the first quarter but remained in the game. ... Suns center O'Neal missed his second straight game with a bruised shin. O'Neal was out April 7 against New Orleans, then returned to post identical 2-for-12 shooting nights before sitting out Saturday at Minnesota. ... With O'Neal out and Hamed Haddadi the only center on the Suns' roster, coach Lindsey Hunter returned to his three-forward starting lineup. ... Before the game, Phoenix recalled G Diante Garrett from his third stint with Bakersfield of the D-League. ... The Rockets have dropped 11 of their past 14 games in Phoenix. ... Before Monday's victory, Phoenix was tied with the New Orleans Hornets for fewest home wins among Western Conference teams. The Suns earned their 17th home-court win.
