ROCKETS DEFEAT SUNS
Amen Thompson's triple-double helps Rockets rally for win over Suns
Feb 12, 2025, 10:13 pm
Rockets defeat the Suns, 119-111. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
Amen Thompson had 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds for his fourth career triple-double and the Houston Rockets used a big run late to get a 119-111 win over the Phoenix Suns Wednesday night.
It was the second triple-double this month after the second-year player also had one on Feb. 3.
The game was tied after a 3-pointer by Bol Bol before the Rockets used an 11-2 run to take a 115-106 lead with just more than a minute to go.
Jalen Green scored the first five points in that stretch before Dillon Brooks made consecutive 3-pointers to allow Houston to pull away.
Kevin Durant had 37 points for the short-handed Suns, who were missing Devin Booker, who sat out with a bruised lower back. The Suns lost their third in a row and for the sixth time in seven games.
They led by 8 entering the fourth quarter before Houston rallied for the victory.
Alperen Sengun had 17 points and 13 rebounds after sitting out most of Sunday’s game dealing with back spasms to help the Rockets win a second straight. Tari Eason added 25 points for Houston and Green had 22.
Takeaways
Suns: Durant continues to play at a high level, but the Suns need to get their other stars healthy to take some pressure off the 36-year-old.
Rockets: The Rockets used a balanced scoring attack to get the win with all five starters finishing with at least 17 points.
Key moment
A dunk by Durant got the Suns within 3 late before the two 3-pointers by Brooks put the game away.
Key stat
The Rockets scored 25 points off 17 Phoenix turnovers.
Up next
The Rockets host the Warriors and the Suns visit the Spurs on Thursday night.
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The Houston Astros have looked like one of baseball’s most dangerous teams in recent weeks, riding a hot streak fueled by dominant starting pitching and a red-hot offense that’s erupted for double-digit runs in four of their last eight games. But behind the current success, there are fair questions about whether this pace is truly sustainable as the grind of the season continues.
Yes, the Astros are winning — and winning big — but context matters. Many of their recent victories have come against struggling clubs like the White Sox and Athletics. Even matchups against the Twins and Guardians, while respectable, don’t exactly represent championship-caliber tests. That soft stretch of the schedule has certainly helped Houston pad its win column, but it may not be the best predictor of long-term performance. Houston will be tested in the upcoming series against the Phillies and Cubs.
On the pitching side, the numbers have been impressive, but how repeatable is it? With Lance McCullers Jr. sidelined for at least a couple of weeks, the Astros are relying on a patchwork rotation that includes unproven arms like Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto, and Brandon Walter. While each has shown flashes, asking them to shoulder the load deep into the summer may be a tall order.
Offensively, Houston is firing on all cylinders. But scoring 10 or more runs every other game simply isn’t sustainable over a 162-game season. Regression is inevitable; the question is how the team responds when the bats cool down or the bullpen is asked to carry more weight.
Amid all this, rookie third baseman Cam Smith continues to shine. Just a few months into his major league career, Smith is producing at a level that suggests he’s not just a key piece of the future — he’s already one of the team’s most valuable players. His batting average sits just a point behind Jose Altuve’s, and his OPS is even higher. If the Astros were forced to choose two players to build around long-term, factoring in youth and contract status, the logical duo might be Smith and breakout pitcher Hunter Brown.
So what about the big picture? Is this team a true World Series contender?
Oddsmakers currently have Houston with the seventh-best odds to win it all, and only the Yankees and Tigers rank higher among American League teams. The core is still there, the experience is undeniable, and if the pitching continues to hold — especially with the anticipated return of Spencer Arrighetti and a healthy McCullers — the Astros have every reason to believe they’ll be in the mix deep into October.
But that’s a big “if.” The ceiling is still high, and with Cam Smith emerging as a star in real time, this team might just have another gear. Whether they can reach it when the competition stiffens, that remains to be seen.
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