PHOENIX -- James Harden was officially designated as Houston's point guard for the first time in his career this season, although the mindset has always come naturally. Wednesday was no different.

Harden had 27 points and 14 assists and extended his career-high string of double doubles to nine when the Rockets recovered from their first December loss with a 125-111 victory over the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

"When we are able to run and get out in transition and the guys get behind the defenders, if I'm able to advance it, I'm going to throw the ball 99 percent of the time, no matter if I get a turnover or not," Harden said.

"Because it shows my guys if you run, I'm going to throw the ball to you. I got a couple of turnovers off of it, but more than likely than we are score layups and get easy threes, and that's going to open everything else up."

Guard Eric Gordon had 24 points and made 7 of 13 3-pointers, and forward Ryan Anderson had 15 points and three 3s for the Rockets (22-8).

Guard Devin Booker had 28 points and reserve guard Brandon Knight had 17 for the Suns (8-21), who lost four in a row and eight of 10.

Suns forward T.J. Warren had 19 points and five rebounds in 29 minutes, the most he scored and played in three games since returning from an unspecified head injury.

The Rockets made at least 10 3-pointers in 28 of their last 29 games, falling short only in a 102-100 loss to San Antonio that broke a 10-game winning streak Tuesday.

Houston is 11-1 in December, with victories over Golden State and Oklahoma City. They play five more games in a busy month, including games against Memphis, the Los Angeles Clippers and New York.

"It's really though to slow us down, knocking down the threes but also making layups," Gordon said. "Teams have to pick their poison against us. We have a lot of confidence on this team and we have great chemistry."

The Rockets shot 53.5 percent from the field and in addition to their 18 threes had 44 points in the paint and 28 fast-break points.

Guard Patrick Beverley had 18 points, nine assists and nine rebounds and forward Montrezl Harrell had 17 points as the Rockets placed seven players in double figures.

"We've been playing good basketball," Houston coach Mike D'Antoni said. "San Antonio is just a different animal. It's a good bounce-back win, back-to-back, and the guys showed some heart."

Harden had seven assists in the first quarter and 11 at the half as the Rockets broke out early and led for all but 27 seconds in the second quarter.

The Suns took their only lead when Booker capped a 20-7 run with two free throws to make it 49-47 with 3:15 left in the first half. Knight had 11 points in that stretch, including a 3-pointer. Anderson hit a 3-pointer on the Rockets' next possession.

"We have a lot of guys who can score," Suns coach Earl Watson said. "We have a couple of guys with a defensive mindset. It's important to figure out the balance in that.

"James hit big shots down the stretch. That's what he does. Pat Beverley, to me, its a big x-factor for their roster. He's the most understated."

NOTES: Houston G James Harden and Suns G Eric Bledsoe were two of the five NBA players averaging at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists per game. Milwaukee F Giannis Antetokounmpo, Cleveland F LeBron James and Oklahoma City G Russell Westbrook are the others. The last Suns player to average 20/5/5 was F Charles Barkley in his 1992-93 MVP season. ... Houston has made 461 3-pointers in its first 30 games, shattering an NBA record. The Rockets made at least 10 3-pointers in 27 straight games before hitting six in a 102-100 loss to San Antonio on Tuesday. ... Suns C Tyson Chandler, in his 16th season, averages 11.5 rebounds per game. Only Charles Barkley and Moses Malone averaged more than 10 rebounds in their 16th season.