PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns' start to the season was forgettable at best, trotting out a 1-5 record and raising several questions around their identity, decisions made over the offseason and what their future ultimately held.

Thursday night's win over the Orlando Magic helped steady the ship, though the Suns' upset victory over the Houston Rockets just might serve as a springboard for the team's season.

Phoenix is now 3-5 after stringing together their first pair of consecutive wins in the early stages of the 2026-27 season. The Suns by no means have found a magic elixir, though perhaps head coach Jordan Ott and his crew found a groove after downing Kevin Durant and a highly competitive Rockets team

"It's something we can build on. We found some stuff in that Orlando game. Starts again, guarding the basketball. We've talked a lot about. How do you stay out of rotations. If you can stay out of rotations, you can rebound better, but if we do have to go into rotation, just be better in our closeouts and our communication and then taking the challenge," Ott said after the 102-99 win.

Saturday was the first time all season where the Suns held an opponent to under 100 points.

The Suns' defense has been a massive talking point this season, and it again appeared as if Phoenix would hold some tough discussions after nearly blowing a 19-point lead to the Rockets. However, Devin Booker took over late in the matchup and ultimately willed Phoenix to an upset win.

"This is a defensive night - even his defense. It's like we go as he goes on both ends," Ott said of Booker after the game. He finished the game with 24 points and three steals. "The amount of pressure that they put on you. On their defensive side, we had to find some solutions there on the fly and he obviously leads us on both ends.”

Phoenix was highly expected to take another step forward after winning 45 games last season. They acquired Miles Bridges via trade and finally had a year of continuity and chemistry on their side.

Even with back-to-back wins, the results still haven't been overly satisfactory. The Suns clearly still have some issues to work through in terms of digging themselves back to a .500 record and going from there.

Yet maybe — just maybe — Saturday night's win over the Rockets can be a turning point for this early season.