— Jae Crowder scored 26 points, Devin Booker added 24 and the Phoenix Suns tied an NBA record with 18 3-pointers in the first half on the way to a 126-120 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday night.
The Suns are closing in on the Jazz in the West, while the Nets-Sixers clash takes center stage this week.
— Stephen Curry scored 23 of his 38 points in the third quarter and the Golden State Warriors withstood another injury to rookie James Wiseman to beat the Houston Rockets 125-109 on Saturday night.
— Kawhi Leonard scored 31 points, Reggie Jackson added 26 and the Los Angeles Clippers used a dominating second quarter Friday night to defeat the Houston Rockets 126-109 and extend their winning streak to four games.
— John Wall had 31 points and seven assists in his return from injury, and the Houston Rockets snapped a five-game skid with a 102-93 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.
— Devin Booker scored 18 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter, and the Phoenix Suns beat the Houston Rockets 133-130 on Monday night for their sixth straight win.
As conference seeding battles continue to take shape, here's where our experts see all 30 teams.
— Lonzo Ball had 27 points and a career-high eight 3-pointers, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Houston Rockets 122-115 on Sunday night to end a two-game skid.
— Jayson Tatum scored 26 points, Robert Williams had a career-high 20 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 118-102 win over the Houston Rockets on Friday night.
— Kyrie Irving had 31 points and a season-high 12 assists, and the Brooklyn Nets overcame the loss of James Harden to beat the Houston Rockets 120-108 on Wednesday night and move into first place in the Eastern Conference.
GM Rafael Stone said Monday he has zero regrets about trading James Harden and believes the draft picks the young Rockets received have the team poised for a bright future -- even if it takes multiple years to see to fruition.
— Jonas Valanciunas scored a season-high 30 points, including eight down the stretch, to help the Memphis Grizzlies outlast the Houston Rockets 120-110 on Monday night.
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas | 29 | 24 | .547 | - | L2 |
| Memphis | 27 | 25 | .519 | 1.5 | W1 |
| San Antonio | 26 | 26 | .500 | 2.5 | W2 |
| New Orleans | 25 | 29 | .463 | 4.5 | W3 |
| Houston | 14 | 40 | .259 | 15.5 | L3 |
| YEAR | W | L | PCT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-21 | 14 | 40 | .259 |
| 2019-20 | 44 | 28 | .611 |
| 2018-19 | 53 | 29 | .646 |
| 2017-18 | 65 | 17 | .793 |
| 2016-17 | 55 | 27 | .671 |
