Suns shoot down Rockets, stay in playoff hunt

HOUSTON – Eric Bledsoe had a career-high 34 points and the Phoenix Suns withstood a fourth-quarter charge by the Houston Rockets for a 117-102 victory in the NBA Saturday night.

Bledsoe scored 23 by halftime and surpassed his previous career best of 33 points, set earlier this season, on a free throw with about a minute remaining.

Phoenix led by 15 early in the fourth quarter when Houston used a 14-4 run, with five points from Josh Smith, to cut it to 105-100 with 5 minutes left. The Suns missed seven shots and turned it over three times as their big lead dwindled.

In Oakland, California, Stephen Curry bounced back from his worst shooting performance of the season to score 24 points, Leandro Barbosa added a season-high 19 off the bench and the Golden State Warriors pulled away late to beat the Utah Jazz, 106-91.

One day after shooting 4 of 17 in a win over New Orleans, Curry went 8 of 18 from the floor against a Utah defense that had been the NBA’s stingiest over the past three weeks. He also showed a little grit after sitting out the first 7 minutes of the fourth quarter when he crashed to the floor after being fouled hard by Derrick Favors.

Draymond Green added 15 points, six rebounds and seven assists for the Warriors (56-13), who have the best record in the NBA.

Favors had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Jazz. Utah lost for only the fourth time since the All-Star break.

In other results, Brooklyn dumped Indiana, 123-111; Detroit surprised Chicago, 107-91; and Memphis dominated Portland, 98-86.