Deadspin | Rockets escape 21-point hole, down Suns to tie for 4th in West 
Apr 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate (8) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Kevin Durant had 24 points and five 3-pointers in his return to Phoenix and the Houston Rockets overcame a 21-point deficit for their largest comeback of the season, producing a 119-105 victory over the host Suns on Tuesday.
Amen Thompson logged 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists and Jabari Smith Jr. had 20 points and five 3-pointers for the Rockets, who have won seven in a row and nine of 11.
The Rockets (50-29) are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers (50-29) for fourth place in the West and are one game behind the Denver Nuggets (51-28) with three to play. The Lakers own the tiebreaker over both.
Devin Booker had 31 points and eight assists and Mark Williams contributed 19 points and eight rebounds for the Suns (43-36), who had a 24-0 run in the first quarter to build a 26-5 lead before fading.
With the Suns’ loss and the Timberwolves’ Tuesday win, Minnesota clinched the sixth and final guaranteed Western Conference playoff berth. Phoenix will have to compete in the play-in tournament.
The Rockets opened the fourth quarter with a 30-12 run to take a 111-96 lead, and the Suns never drew closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Houston swept the four-game season series and has won eight in a row against Phoenix.
The Rockets shot 45% from the field and had a 55-34 rebounding edge, turning 24 offensive rebounds into 37 second-chance points.
The Suns made 34 free throws on 39 attempts, both season highs, but shot only 42.7% from the field. Booker was 15 of 16 from the line and Williams was 5 of 6.
Houston’s Alperen Sengun, bothered by foul trouble, had 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes. He picked up his fourth foul 48 seconds into the third quarter and returned with four minutes left in the period.
Williams had 10 points in the Suns’ 24-0 run, their longest run since play-by-play has been recorded starting in 1997-98.
Durant, who played for the Suns the previous 2 1/2 seasons, and Phoenix’s Dillon Brooks engaged in a running dialogue in a chippy second quarter. Booker and Houston’s Jae’Sean Tate received technical fouls a minute apart midway through the period. Durant had 11 points in the quarter as the Rockets pulled within 57-54 entering halftime.
Brooks made two free throws for a 75-70 lead after Reed Sheppard was called for a flagrant-1 foul for grabbing Brooks around the neck on a third-quarter drive. The Suns led 84-81 after three.
–Field Level Media
#Deadspin #Rockets #escape #21point #hole #Suns #tie #4th #West
Apr 7, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker (1) controls the ball against Houston Rockets forward Jae’Sean Tate (8) in the first half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Kevin Durant had 24 points and five 3-pointers in his return to Phoenix and the Houston Rockets overcame a 21-point deficit for their largest comeback of the season, producing a 119-105 victory over the host Suns on Tuesday.
Amen Thompson logged 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists and Jabari Smith Jr. had 20 points and five 3-pointers for the Rockets, who have won seven in a row and nine of 11.
The Rockets (50-29) are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers (50-29) for fourth place in the West and are one game behind the Denver Nuggets (51-28) with three to play. The Lakers own the tiebreaker over both.
Devin Booker had 31 points and eight assists and Mark Williams contributed 19 points and eight rebounds for the Suns (43-36), who had a 24-0 run in the first quarter to build a 26-5 lead before fading.
With the Suns’ loss and the Timberwolves’ Tuesday win, Minnesota clinched the sixth and final guaranteed Western Conference playoff berth. Phoenix will have to compete in the play-in tournament.
The Rockets opened the fourth quarter with a 30-12 run to take a 111-96 lead, and the Suns never drew closer than 10 the rest of the way.
Houston swept the four-game season series and has won eight in a row against Phoenix.
The Rockets shot 45% from the field and had a 55-34 rebounding edge, turning 24 offensive rebounds into 37 second-chance points.
The Suns made 34 free throws on 39 attempts, both season highs, but shot only 42.7% from the field. Booker was 15 of 16 from the line and Williams was 5 of 6.
Houston’s Alperen Sengun, bothered by foul trouble, had 12 points, 14 rebounds and six assists in 28 minutes. He picked up his fourth foul 48 seconds into the third quarter and returned with four minutes left in the period.
Williams had 10 points in the Suns’ 24-0 run, their longest run since play-by-play has been recorded starting in 1997-98.
Durant, who played for the Suns the previous 2 1/2 seasons, and Phoenix’s Dillon Brooks engaged in a running dialogue in a chippy second quarter. Booker and Houston’s Jae’Sean Tate received technical fouls a minute apart midway through the period. Durant had 11 points in the quarter as the Rockets pulled within 57-54 entering halftime.
Brooks made two free throws for a 75-70 lead after Reed Sheppard was called for a flagrant-1 foul for grabbing Brooks around the neck on a third-quarter drive. The Suns led 84-81 after three.
–Field Level Media
![IPL 2026: Sanju Samson stakes claim to be CSK’s ‘leading man’ with maiden hundred in yellow jersey Viyarppu thunniyitta kuppayam. Athil nirangal mangukilla kattayam. [Dress spun from sweat; more vivid than any story ever told].The opening lyrics of the song ‘Kuthanthram’ from the 2024 Malayalam classic ‘Manjummel Boys’ left a lasting imprint on people’s minds due to its quirky metaphorical connotation.Indian batter Sanju Samson had referenced the phrase in a social media post after finding a spot back in the playing eleven after being dropped following a disappointing tour of Australia.A lot has transpired in Samson’s life since that game in December 2025. He was dropped from the team again. He was reintegrated again. And then he played three career-defining knocks, one after the other, to guide his nation to a third T20 World Cup triumph.On Saturday, at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, another vivid story was written when a drenched-in-sweat Samson yielded his willow after Chennai Super Kings’ first innings against Delhi Capitals. An unbeaten 115 in front of 30,000 yellow-clad fans at his new amphitheatre was the first real indication of a metamorphosis foreseen by many since the 31-year-old traded his longstanding pink for yellow ahead of the new IPL season.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yGy2jRz8Jc[/embed]Like most things in his more-than-a-decade-long career so far, this too did not come easy for him. Three consecutive no-shows with the bat, all while being the torchbearer for the side’s new injection of exuberance, almost extinguished the halo of nobility that appeared after his World Cup exploits.The first ball he faced from debutant Auqib Nabi set the tone for the day. You would imagine that a batter who was dismissed thrice in succession by the ball moving away — twice through an outside edge looking to push away from off-stump — would look to ensure there was no movement on offer before playing a similar shot. Not Samson. He prodded his front foot across, in a sign of immense self-confidence, to caress the ball through the covers and pick up three.While his opening partner, Ruturaj Gaikwad, struggled to combine both timing and the art of finding the gap together, Samson delivered a clinic in batting against pace in the PowerPlay, combining composure and direction to give his side a rapid start. Two gorgeous fours over extra-cover against Axar Patel followed, after which the Kerala batter slipped his vehicle into autopilot, the likes of which we saw at the victorious multi-nation tournament.A bothersome back, a dropped catch in the deep, and an unnerving prolonged stint in the 90s later, a fortuitous outside edge of the blade took him to three figures, one that the crowd welcomed with ear-splitting whistles and a standing ovation. The CSK fanbase has long venerated a wicketkeeper-batter to such a degree that he is now considered to be the son of the soil. The unyielding fandom has grown to such an extent that it forces him to return to play in front of the adoring crowd despite his growing years. It can’t go on forever, though. But now, there is a successor in place, and Saturday at the Chepauk was his first step towards staking a claim to be that leading man. Published on Apr 12, 2026 #IPL #Sanju #Samson #stakes #claim #CSKs #leading #man #maiden #yellow #jersey](https://i2.wp.com/ss-i.thgim.com/public/incoming/rfo0xt/article70853376.ece/alternates/LANDSCAPE_1200/image%2013.jpg?ssl=1 "IPL 2026: Sanju Samson stakes claim to be CSK’s ‘leading man’ with maiden hundred in yellow jersey Viyarppu thunniyitta kuppayam. Athil nirangal mangukilla kattayam. [Dress spun from sweat; more vivid than any story ever told].The opening lyrics of the song ‘Kuthanthram’ from the 2024 Malayalam classic ‘Manjummel Boys’ left a lasting imprint on people’s minds due to its quirky metaphorical connotation.Indian batter Sanju Samson had referenced the phrase in a social media post after finding a spot back in the playing eleven after being dropped following a disappointing tour of Australia.A lot has transpired in Samson’s life since that game in December 2025. He was dropped from the team again. He was reintegrated again. And then he played three career-defining knocks, one after the other, to guide his nation to a third T20 World Cup triumph.On Saturday, at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, another vivid story was written when a drenched-in-sweat Samson yielded his willow after Chennai Super Kings’ first innings against Delhi Capitals. An unbeaten 115 in front of 30,000 yellow-clad fans at his new amphitheatre was the first real indication of a metamorphosis foreseen by many since the 31-year-old traded his longstanding pink for yellow ahead of the new IPL season.[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yGy2jRz8Jc[/embed]Like most things in his more-than-a-decade-long career so far, this too did not come easy for him. Three consecutive no-shows with the bat, all while being the torchbearer for the side’s new injection of exuberance, almost extinguished the halo of nobility that appeared after his World Cup exploits.The first ball he faced from debutant Auqib Nabi set the tone for the day. You would imagine that a batter who was dismissed thrice in succession by the ball moving away — twice through an outside edge looking to push away from off-stump — would look to ensure there was no movement on offer before playing a similar shot. Not Samson. He prodded his front foot across, in a sign of immense self-confidence, to caress the ball through the covers and pick up three.While his opening partner, Ruturaj Gaikwad, struggled to combine both timing and the art of finding the gap together, Samson delivered a clinic in batting against pace in the PowerPlay, combining composure and direction to give his side a rapid start. Two gorgeous fours over extra-cover against Axar Patel followed, after which the Kerala batter slipped his vehicle into autopilot, the likes of which we saw at the victorious multi-nation tournament.A bothersome back, a dropped catch in the deep, and an unnerving prolonged stint in the 90s later, a fortuitous outside edge of the blade took him to three figures, one that the crowd welcomed with ear-splitting whistles and a standing ovation. The CSK fanbase has long venerated a wicketkeeper-batter to such a degree that he is now considered to be the son of the soil. The unyielding fandom has grown to such an extent that it forces him to return to play in front of the adoring crowd despite his growing years. It can’t go on forever, though. But now, there is a successor in place, and Saturday at the Chepauk was his first step towards staking a claim to be that leading man. Published on Apr 12, 2026 #IPL #Sanju #Samson #stakes #claim #CSKs #leading #man #maiden #yellow #jersey")
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