HOUSTON (AP) — Victor Wembunyama had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 111-99 on Wednesday night.
The Spurs trailed by 16 points and didn’t take the lead until late in the third quarter. Wembanyama scored nine points and made five free throws to start the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run that gave the Spurs a 95-86 lead with less than eight minutes left.
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Alperen Sengun’s two free throws cut the Rockets’ deficit to five points, and then the Spurs went on a 10-4 run, powered by Dylan Harper’s six points, to make it 107-96 with 2 1/2 minutes left.
Wembanyama had his big game after scoring 14 points on 5-for-21 shooting in last week’s loss to Houston.
The win gives the Spurs a 2-1 lead in the season series, which will end with March 8 in San Antonio.
Amen Thompson scored 25 points and Kevin Durant contributed 24 points for the Rockets. Sengun had 18 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.
The Spurs shot 53.7 percent from the field, helping them surge into the night, while the Rockets shot just 39.4 percent. Thompson made only 11 of 23 shots and Sengon made 7 of 20 shots.
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With about 8 minutes left in the third quarter, the Rockets led by 11 points. The Spurs went on a 16-4 run with about 2 minutes left in the quarter, chasing the score to 79-78 and taking the lead for the first time. Keldon Johnson scored 9 points in that period and Harper also scored 4 points.
The game was tied late in the third quarter after Stephen Castle’s layup, followed by a Thompson dunk that gave the Rockets an 86-84 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Next
Spurs: At Charlotte on Saturday.
Rockets: At Atlanta on Thursday night.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba
