The Houston Rockets will be without Alperen Sengun for at least two weeks due to an ankle injury, making these next few games all the more crucial in their bid to retain their positioning in the Western Conference standings. What stood in their way on Monday night were a Phoenix Suns team that's been proving their doubters wrong all season long. That Suns squad is also coming off a huge win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, so they're no strangers to slaying some giants.

But Kevin Durant wasn't about to let his former team clown him, not on his home court.

With the score tied at 97 apiece, the Rockets had 5.5 seconds left to regain the lead from the Suns. And even without Sengun, Houston now has the luxury of going to Durant, one of the greatest shot-makers in the history of the league, to try and win the game.

That's exactly what they did. Durant found himself isolated behind the three-point line against Royce O'Neale and hit a triple right in his grill to give Houston a 100-97 lead with a few tenths of a second left on the game clock.

The Suns still had a chance to send the game to overtime, but another former Sun in Josh Okogie intercepted the inbounds pass to seal the win for the Rockets. Durant ended the night with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.

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Kevin Durant, Rockets have enough gas to outlast Suns

Rockets forward Kevin Durant laughs
© Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The Suns have been one of the best crunch-time teams in the NBA this season, if their performance on Sunday night is any indication. It looked like Phoenix was going to go on yet ano0ther signature late run to take another close win.

But the Rockets did just enough, especially on the glass, to outlast the Suns in a slugfest between two strong West playoff teams. This win moves Houston to 21-11 on the season, which has them in fifth place in the West at present.