Durant's 3-pointer in final seconds gives Rockets 100-97 win over the Suns

HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 26 points and his 3-pointer with 1.1 seconds to go lifted the Houston Rockets to a 100-97 win over the Phoenix Suns on Monday night.

The game was tied when Durant drained the 27-footer to give the Rockets the victory over his former team. Durant joined the Rockets from Phoenix this summer in a blockbuster trade that sent Dillon Brooks and Jalen Green to the Suns.

Devin Booker's 3-point attempt bounced off the rim after Durant gave Houston the lead to end it.

The Suns had a chance to take the lead before Durant’s game winner, but Booker’s 3-point attempt was off. Phoenix got the rebound, but the shot clock expired, giving Houston the ball with 5.1 seconds to go.

Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. added 17 points each to help Houston to its fifth win in six games.

Booker scored 27 points and Brooks had 15 for the Suns, whose two-game winning streak ended.

The Rockets led by seven with less than five minutes left before the Suns used a 10-0 run, with eight points from Booker, to take a 97-94 lead with about 2 1/2 minutes to go.

Smith made a free throw with six minutes remaining, but the Rockets hadn’t scored a field goal in almost 4 1/2 minutes when a three-point play by Thompson tied it with under two minutes remaining.

Houston’s Alperen Sengun sat out after spraining his right ankle Saturday and coach Ime Udoka said the big man is expected to miss 10 to 14 days with the injury.

The game was briefly delayed in the second quarter because of a malfunction of the clocks and scoreboard before play resumed without either working and the public address announcer periodically announcing the time on the game clock and shot clock.

The clock and scoreboard began working with about four minutes left in the first half, and the shot clocks were restored for the start of the third quarter.

Suns: Visit Memphis on Wednesday.

Rockets: Play consecutive games at Portland on Wednesday and Friday.

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Play continues with the shot clock not working during the first half of an NBA basketball game between the Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Phoenix Suns' Jordan Goodwin, left, reaches to knock the ball away from Houston Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Rockets' Tari Eason (17) knocks the ball away from Phoenix Suns' Devin Booker during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Phoenix Suns' Dillon Brooks, center, goes up for a shot as Houston Rockets' Jabari Smith Jr. (10) and Tari Eason (17) defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant (7) celebrates with Amen Thompson (1) after making a game-winning 3-point basket against the Phoenix Suns during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Jan. 5, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims from around the world congregated on Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the second official day of the annual Islamic pilgrimage, considered the pinnacle of the Hajj.

Despite the sweltering heat, the pilgrims gathered on the rocky hill and surrounding plain for intense prayers and worship that often mark a spiritual peak for them. They fervently murmured prayers and poured their hearts out in supplications. Many raised their hands in worship. It is common for pilgrims on that day, some with tears streaming down their faces, to ask God for forgiveness, mercy, blessings and good health.

The Hajj, one of the Five Pillars of Islam, is required once in a lifetime for every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to perform it.

For pilgrims, the Hajj, performed over several days, can be a deeply moving spiritual experience and a chance to seek God’s forgiveness and the erasure of past sins. As they brave the intense heat to perform religious rituals, many pilgrims have been using umbrellas for shade.

A Saudi official said on Friday that more than 1.5 million pilgrims have arrived in the country from abroad.

This year, Muslims have been pouring into Saudi Arabia for the Hajj against the backdrop of a tenuous ceasefire in the Iran war and related uncertainty in the region.

The U.S. military said Monday that it carried out “self-defense” strikes in southern Iran, including on missile launch sites and boats used to lay mines, even as President Donald Trump said on social media that negotiations with Tehran were “proceeding nicely." Iran on Tuesday denounced the most recent U.S. strikes as a sign of “bad faith and unreliability” as negotiations pressed on toward a possible deal to end the war.

For many, performing the Hajj can be a realization of a lifelong dream as they spend years hoping and praying to one day be able to undertake the pilgrimage or saving up money and waiting for a permit to embark on the trip.

“This happens once in a lifetime,” Mohammad Asal, an Egyptian pilgrim, said. “People here have prepared their prayers, hoping that God will respond to them, because we know that ... the most important ritual of the Hajj is being in Arafat.”

The Hajj brings together large numbers of Muslims of diverse races, ethnicities, languages and socioeconomic classes, creating a sense of unity for many. It’s a mass, communal experience, with Muslims performing rituals together. But it is also deeply personal, as every pilgrim brings their own yearnings and experiences.

“It was incredible,” Ahmed Sufyan, a pilgrim from the United States, said on Tuesday. “The unity and peace that we feel is something I’ve never experienced before,” he added via WhatsApp.

“Our wishes are many,” Mohammad Obaid, a Sudanese pilgrim, said, adding he was praying for Sudan and Muslims everywhere.

Fam reported from Winter Park, Florida.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

A Muslim pilgrim pray atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims walk towards the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims are silhouetted as they pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims pray at top of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

Muslim pilgrims read a copy of Islam's holy book Quran atop of the rocky hill known as the Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual Hajj pilgrimage near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Tuesday, May 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)