All five of Houston's starters scored in double-digits. Jalen Green had 29 points. Houston and Phoenix started the game with a lot of back-and-forth shooting, but after leading by seven, the Rockets trailed the Suns by four points late in the first quarter,

Alperen Sengun opened the scoring for Houston, knocking down a three-pointer and a midrange jumper on his first two attempts from the field. The Suns’ star-power shined early on, as Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker scored Phoenix’s first points.