National Basketball Association
Houston 124, San Antonio 109
When: 9:30 PM ET, Friday, December 15, 2017
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Officials:
#3 Nick Buchert, #19 James Capers, #50 Gediminas Petraitis
Attendance:
18055
By The Sports Xchange
HOUSTON -- Play-making and defensive wizardry have long been foundational characteristics for Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul.
So much so that his ability to score frequently gets so lost in the shuffle that when he showcases that skill, observers are often stunned.
Paul continued his run of assertive offense while maintaining his prowess defensively as the Rockets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 124-109 on Friday night at Toyota Center.
Paul finished with 28 points, eight assists and a season-high seven steals as the Rockets (23-4), unbeaten with Paul in the lineup this season, extended their winning streak to 12 games. In the last four games, Paul is averaging 26.5 points (on 54.5 percent shooting) and eight assists.
"He's been amazing, the way he's playing," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "It's just a good combo between him and James (Harden). When one gets a little tired, the other takes over and they just go back and forth. (We have) so many weapons out there that they're taking advantage of all of them."
With Paul and Harden (28 points, seven rebounds, six assists) co-piloting, the Rockets stressed the Spurs' vaunted defense, sinking 18 3-pointers to match the most by a San Antonio opponent this season. Harden struggled with his shot, but the Spurs (19-10) failed to keep him off the line, with Harden sinking 14 of 16 free throws to offset his 2-of-11 3-point shooting.
The Rockets seized control of their wire-to-wire victory with a 17-4 blitz that closed the first quarter. While the Spurs missed all six of their 3-pointers in the quarter, Houston shot 6 of 14 from deep.
In the second quarter, the Rockets enjoyed a stretch of five field goals all coming from behind the arc, and when Trevor Ariza capped a 13-0 run with a transition dunk, they led 51-23.
All five Rockets starters scored in double figures, with Clint Capela (18 points, 10 rebounds) and Ryan Anderson (12 points, 10 rebounds) posting double-doubles. Ariza added 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals.
The Rockets are 13-0 with Paul in the lineup.
"We did a really good job of staying locked in. All 48 minutes," Ariza said. "From the start we were aggressive on both ends of the court, and we didn't let up."
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich pulled his starters in the third quarter, with that unit logging a total of 22 minutes after the intermission.
LaMarcus Aldridge paced the starters with 16 points in just 26 minutes. Kawhi Leonard, playing in just his second game after a quad injury, sat out the second half after adding 12 points, two steals and two blocks before the break.
The Spurs' starting backcourt of Tony Parker and Danny Green combined for four points on 2-of-8 shooting and four turnovers in 36 minutes. San Antonio starters hit just 1 of 8 3-pointers.
"We lost the game and our starters let us down," Popovich said.
"Obviously, they played their game tonight," Leonard said of the Rockets. "They're a great team in transition, they set a lot of picks, a lot of mismatches, and you have to give them credit. They knocked down a lot of open shots. We fouled shooters and fouled guys on the drive. We weren't communicating and we fell in the hole early."
The Spurs missed their first 10 3-point shots before Bryn Forbes sank a corner 3 with 3:42 left in the first half. The Rockets led by 23 by that juncture, and while the Spurs' bench played valiantly in slicing the deficit to 14 in the fourth quarter, the Rockets maintained control through the finish.
NOTES: With Spurs F Kawhi Leonard and Spurs G Tony Parker on minute restrictions, both will likely rest Saturday night when San Antonio hosts the Dallas Mavericks in the second game of a back-to-back. Leonard eclipsed his minutes total (16) from his season debut on Tuesday by logging 17 minutes in the first half. ... Rockets F Luc Mbah a Moute will miss two to three weeks after suffering a dislocated right shoulder on Wednesday night. An MRI the following morning revealed no significant damage. ... All five Rockets starters scored in double figures for the fifth time this season. The Rockets improved to 5-0 in those games.
Top Game Performances
| San Antonio |
|
Houston |
|
LaMarcus Aldridge 16 |
Scoring |
James Harden 28 |
|
Dejounte Murray 5 |
Assists |
Chris Paul 8 |
|
Rudy Gay 8 |
Rebounds |
Ryan Anderson 10 |
|
Dejounte Murray 3 |
Free Throws Made |
James Harden 14 |
|
Danny Green 2 |
Steals |
Chris Paul 7 |
|
Kawhi Leonard 2 |
Blocks |
James Harden 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| San Antonio
|
109 |
48.9 |
10-26 |
7-13 |
22 |
39 |
5 |
10 |
17 |
| Houston
|
124 |
47.3 |
18-50 |
20-25 |
20 |
45 |
3 |
15 |
14 |
Upcoming Games
-
Houston will play their next game at home against Milwaukee. The Rockets have a W/L % of .864 after a win and .800 after a loss.
-
San Antonio will play their next game at home against Dallas. The Spurs have a W/L % of .700 after a win and .556 after a loss.
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