Suns Star Devin Booker Injures Ankle In Loss To Hawks, Hawks Rally To Victory

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Jalen Johnson powered Atlanta, Kevin Durant led Houston and Andrew Nembhard inspired Indiana as a busy NBA night produced three tight wins. The Hawks beat the Phoenix Suns 110-103, the Houston Rockets stopped the Detroit Pistons 111-104, and the Indiana Pacers edged the Oklahoma City Thunder 117-114.

The Hawks turned the game around after Devin Booker left with a right ankle injury late in the third quarter. Phoenix had led 91-84 when Booker rolled his ankle on Onyeka Okongwu’s foot with five seconds remaining in the period, after scoring 31 points in just 28 minutes.

Johnson finished with 23 points and 18 rebounds, matching a career high, to record an NBA-leading 30th double-double this season. Okongwu added 25 points as Atlanta outscored Phoenix 26-12 in the fourth quarter. The Hawks shot 43 of 81 from the field and hit 13 of 26 three-pointers, maintaining pressure once Booker departed.

CJ McCollum delivered 21 points from the bench for Atlanta, extending a double-digit scoring streak to 34 games and contributing four rebounds. McCollum and Corey Kispert both arrived from Washington in early January in the trade that sent Trae Young to the Wizards. Booker still led Phoenix with 31 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Durant guided the Rockets past Detroit with 32 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 40 minutes. The forward did not commit a turnover and maintained a 30.6-point scoring average against the Pistons across 32 career meetings, the highest mark Durant holds against any NBA opponent.

Alperen Sengun contributed 19 points and Reed Sheppard scored 18, helping Houston claim a fourth win in five games. Amen Thompson came close to a triple-double with 15 points, nine rebounds and seven assists as the Rockets ended a five-game road losing streak. Houston broke the game open with a 34-20 third quarter, moving from a tie to an 86-72 advantage.

Jalen Duren led Detroit with 18 points and seven rebounds, but the Pistons struggled to support that effort. The other four Detroit starters combined for only 37 points, shooting 13 of 35 from the field, a 37.1 percent rate. Durant and Sheppard combined for 18 points on 7-for-8 shooting during Houston’s dominant third-quarter stretch.

Pacers hold off Thunder in NBA results rematch

Nembhard led Indiana with 27 points and 11 rebounds as the Pacers held off a late Thunder charge. Jarace Walker added a career-best 26 points, surpassing a previous high of 21, and calmly knocked down four free throws in the last 10 seconds. Injury-hit Indiana, now 11-35, ended a three-game losing run, while Pascal Siakam scored 21 points.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander poured in 47 points for Oklahoma City, which entered with the NBA’s best record at 37-9. The Thunder missed several key players, including Jalen Williams, Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso, yet stayed close. Chet Holmgren backed Gilgeous-Alexander with 25 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks in the narrow defeat.

The contest repeated last season’s NBA Finals matchup, where fortunes shifted sharply after Tyrese Haliburton tore an Achilles tendon early in Game 7. Oklahoma City capitalised then and claimed a first championship. The Thunder started this season 24-1, but recent results have been less dominant, even while the league’s top record remains intact.

The night’s main performances and results across the three NBA matchups are outlined below, highlighting leading scorers and key contributions that influenced the outcomes for the Hawks, Suns, Pacers, Thunder, Rockets and Pistons.

The results leave Atlanta encouraged by Johnson’s consistency, but Phoenix monitoring Booker’s ankle after the painful fall. Houston strengthened recent form by stopping Detroit’s four-game surge, while Oklahoma City’s defeat highlighted both Gilgeous-Alexander’s scoring and the impact of injuries, as Indiana gained a rare boost in a difficult season.