PHOENIX -- Houston coach J.B. Bickerstaff called his team "broken" after the Rockets limped into the All-Star Break with three straight losses.

But after a fragmented first quarter, the Rockets regrouped and had an easy time with a Phoenix Suns team that has come apart at the seams.

Rockets guard James Harden scored 16 of his 27 points from the free throw line and forward Trevor Ariza added 25 points as Houston got back to .500 with an easy 116-100 victory over the reeling Suns on Friday night.

Harden added 10 rebounds and seven assist for Houston (28-28), which snapped the three-game losing streak it took into the All-Star break. Guard Patrick Beverley added 18 points and center Dwight Howard had 15 points.

The Rockets spent three days together in Arizona, working out at Harden's alma mater, Arizona State, going to the movies and gearing up for the stretch drive to the playoffs.

"That's the luxury of the break: Getting away from basketball," said Ariza, who had four of Houston's seven 3-pointers. "When you come back to do the things you love to do, you start to appreciate it more. I think that's what we displayed tonight."

The Rockets, made 35 of 56 free throws in the game, the most they have attempted in a game in almost 45 years. They took control with a 20-5 run late in the second quarter and never looked back.

The last time the Rockets attempted more than 56 free throws in a game was Nov. 17, 1971, when they shot 57 against the Philadelphia 76ers. There were 91 free throws shot in the game, the most in the NBA this season.

"We've got an opportunity in the second half of the season to make a push," said Harden, who went to the line 17 times himself. "Today was a really good start and I think it's one of 26 (games remaining)."

Reserve forward Mirza Teletovic had a season-high 25 points for the Suns (14-41), who have lost a season-high 10 straight games. Phoenix has dropped 25 of 27 games since Dec. 20, the worst 27-game stretch in the history of the franchise.

"(The Rockets) went into the break with their coaches questioning their attitude and they responded," said Suns interim coach Earl Watson, who his 0-6 since taking over for Jeff Hornacek, with all six losses coming at home.

Forward Kris Humphries, acquired from the Washington Wizards in the Markieff Morris deal on Thursday, had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds in his first game with the Suns. Forward Jon Leuer added 16 points for Phoenix.

Humphries, who was traded minutes before the deadline and flew cross-country on Friday morning, had about four hours to take a physical, MRI, x-rays, go through a few plays and about seven minutes to throw up shots before game time.

Humphries wound up playing 27 minutes because the Suns were fresh out of centers by halftime. Alex Len missed the game with a sprained right ankle and Tyson Chandler, who started in Len's place, left with a sprained right shoulder in the second quarter and didn't return.

"I didn't even know if I was going to play. One of the coaches said 'Hey, just go play and have fun," said Humphries, who set a season high for rebounds. "I've been out for a while (with knee tendinitis) and I need to get in better shape. It's fun to play, but it's not fun losing."

Phoenix had a good start. Falling behind 12-7 midway through the first quarter, Teletovic delivered eight points in the final 3:22 and the Suns outscored the Rockets 10-2 to take a 24-21 lead.

Beverley had six points for the Rockets, who missed 15 of 22 shots from the field, including all six 3-pointers.

The Suns still led 36-33 with 6:18 left before the Rockets found their stride. Ariza had 13 points in the quarter and the Rockets outscored the Suns 20-5 in the next six minutes, with Harden capping the run with three free throws with 35.3 seconds left to make it 56-41 Rockets.

"You love the win and we'll take the win, but it's how you go about it to get the win and we did it the right way," Bickerstaff said. "Early in the game I thought we were really playing well, we just weren't making any shots. But we didn't give in and we didn't give up on the defensive end of the floor. We kept competing and then the shots started falling.

"It's time to lock up. Our energy, our effort and our ability to scramble ... we've got guys who can get busy on the defensive end of the floor."

The Rockets iced the outcome with an 18-4 run to open the third quarter. Harden had seven points during the run.

The Suns never got closer than 20 points until Houston emptied its bench with 4:54 left and a 102-79 lead.

NOTES: Suns C Alex Len (sprained right ankle) sat out the game, and Tyson Chandler got the start. ... G Ronnie Price (big right toe surgery, played for the first time since mid-January. ... With F Terrence Jones (concussion) out, the Rockets dressed 11 players after dealing G Marcus Thornton and F Donatas Motiejunas to Detroit in a three-way deal. "The way we are now, I think our rotation is a little more concrete," Houston interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "We've lost a little bit of depth so guys are going to have to play more and play different spots, especially now with limited bigs." ... After F Markieff Morris was traded to Washington Thursday, G Devin Booker, the NBA's youngest player, is now the No. 1 scoring option for the injury-riddled Suns. "We have to keep him humble. We tell him he's option 1-A," interim coach Earl Watson said. ... New F Kris Humphries arrived in Phoenix late Friday afternoon but suited up for the game. "I've known Kris a long time, so, yeah, I'll throw him in the game," Watson said. "Maybe at the point, I don't know." ... Watson and Bickerstaff are the youngest coaches in the NBA at 36. Watson is three months younger.