Rockets
Sengun's 29 and a 28-of-31 night at the line carry Rockets past Spurs, 114-110
The Rockets beat the Spurs 114-110. They led 61-59 at halftime and answered every Spurs push with free throws and Alperen Sengun's 29 points. The Rockets are listed at 3-0 and the Spurs at 1-2.
By the Hoops Nightly Desk · updated 3 h ago01The story of the nightA game of small edgesNeither team led by much.
Neither team led by much. Houston went up 32-27 after the first quarter. San Antonio won the second 32-29, but Houston still held a 61-59 halftime lead. The Rockets took the third 24-22 and led 85-81 going into the fourth. The last quarter ended 29-29, so Houston's four-point edge held to the final buzzer. The teams traded the lead 14 times. Houston's biggest lead was 11 points. San Antonio's was 1. The Spurs spent most of the night chasing, and every run they made was answered. The first quarter, where Houston scored 32, gave the Rockets the cushion they needed.
02Sengun leads a balanced Houston attackSengun scored 29 on 10-of-20 shooting, with 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 7-of-8 at the line.
Sengun scored 29 on 10-of-20 shooting, with 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 7-of-8 at the line. Kevin Durant added 20 points on 5-of-10 shooting and made all 8 of his free throws. Amen Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Fred VanVleet scored 14 with 5 assists, 3 steals and no turnovers. Tari Eason led the bench with 12 points and 6 rebounds. For San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama had 25 points and 13 rebounds on 9-of-21 shooting. Dylan Harper scored 20 on 8-of-15. De'Aaron Fox had 19 points and 9 assists, but also 5 turnovers.
03Where Houston won itThe free-throw line was the biggest gap.
The free-throw line was the biggest gap. Houston made 28 of 31. San Antonio made 18 of 25. That is a 10-point edge in made free throws, and the final margin was four. The Spurs made more threes, 12 of 37 against 10 of 25, but they needed 87 shots to get 40 field goals. Houston made 38 of 78. The paint was close, with San Antonio ahead 48-46, and the Spurs won fast-break points 18-16. Houston took points off turnovers 18-14 and the bench 24-21. Each team had 15 turnovers. Houston had 11 steals to San Antonio's 10 and outrebounded the Spurs 50-48.
04What it meansHouston is listed at 3-0 and is unbeaten.
Houston is listed at 3-0 and is unbeaten. It won with a deep scoring group: four players had 14 or more points, and Eason added 12 off the bench. San Antonio is listed at 1-2. Wembanyama's 25 and 13 and Harper's 20 were not enough, because the Spurs lost the line by 10 points and shot 12 of 37 from three. Fox and Devin Vassell combined for 10 turnovers. If San Antonio cleans that up and gets to the line more, a four-point game like this one can go the other way.
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