Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) shoots the ball as San Antonio Spurs forward Harrison Barnes (40) defends during the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Fred VanVleet recorded his first double-double of the season while Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun combined for 37 points as the Houston Rockets cruised to a 127-100 victory over the visiting San Antonio Spurs in the NBA on Wednesday.
VanVleet paired 21 points with 10 assists and also grabbed seven rebounds while enjoying a remarkable shooting night. He finished 10 of 11 from the floor, including 9 for 9 from inside the arc, to spearhead an exceptional shooting performance for the Rockets on non-3-pointers.
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Houston finished 44 for 69 (63.7 percent) on 2-pointers. Green (21 points, four 3-pointers) and Sengun (16 points) totaled 10 rebounds and eight assists. The bench trio of Amen Thompson, Tari Eason and Jock Landale tallied 31 points on 14-for-23 shooting. Thompson and Landale grabbed six rebounds each. The Rockets shot 56.3 percent overall.
The Spurs were undone by their 20 turnovers, which Houston converted into 20 points. Victor Wembanyama scored 15 points but missed 5 of 6 3-pointers, including his first five.
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VanVleet was in control early, with his full-court pass to Jabari Smith Jr. yielding a dunk and a 22-8 lead at the 3:11 mark of the first period. VanVleet had nine points, three rebounds and two assists in the quarter, and Houston carried a 31-19 lead into the second on the strength of 20 points in the paint.
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Eason buried a corner 3 at the 6:38 mark of the second quarter to provide the Rockets their first 20-point lead at 46-26. That margin was 63-38 at the intermission, with Landale providing nine points in the half and the Rockets shooting 65.7 percent inside the arc while tallying 38 paint points.
The Spurs fashioned a token run to open the third quarter, with Chris Paul and Julian Champagnie (13 points) combining for three 3-pointers that cut the deficit to 67-51. The Rockets quickly responded with paint baskets from Smith, VanVleet and Sengun for a 22-point lead.
When Green drilled a 3-pointer with 28.1 seconds left in the third, the Rockets led 94-68. Houston extended that advantage to 29 points in the final period.
The Spurs never led. Paul, Keldon Johnson, Malaki Branham and Sandro Mamukelashvili scored 10 points each for San Antonio. –Field Level Media
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