PHOENIX — Patrick Beverley scored a career-high 26 points and the Houston Rockets sent the Phoenix Suns to their 12th straight loss with a 123-116 victory despite not having James Harden in the lineup on Sunday (Monday, Manila time) at the Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Harden was ruled out with acute viral syndrome, the team announced before the game. He had not missed a game all season and entered Sunday tied for second in the league in scoring at 29.2 points per game.
Beverley played despite a sore right ankle and scored 11 of his points in the third quarter. Lou Williams scored 16 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter, and Troy Williams, called up from the D-League early Sunday, scored 18 of his career-high 21 points in the first half.
Williams, who last appeared in an NBA game on Dec. 16 with Memphis, shot 5 of 7 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes.
Tyler Ulis finished with a career-high 34 points for the Suns, who were swept in a season series by the Rockets for the first time in franchise history. At 22-56, Phoenix has the West's worst record by a half-game below the Los Angeles Lakers. Ulis added nine rebounds and nine assists, and Devin Booker scored 27 for the Suns.
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