NBA: Houston Rockets ends 11-game skid with win over San Antonio Spurs

The Rockets was bolstered by its reserves, as Eason added five rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

San Antonio Spurs’ Devonte’ Graham goes to the basket between Houston Rockets’ Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun during the second half of an NBA game on March 4, 2023. | Photo Credit: AP

Tari Eason scored a career-high-tying 20 points to pace eight players in double figures for the Houston Rockets, who snapped an 11-game losing skid with a 122-110 road victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday.

The Rockets was bolstered by its reserves, as Eason added five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Josh Christopher and Usman Garuba added 14 and 11 points off the bench, respectively. Garuba finished 3-for-3 on 3-pointers.

Christopher and Daishen Nix were instrumental in a 12-4 run that opened the final period, allowing the Rockets to extend to a 13-point lead.

Houston, which received double-doubles from starters Alperen Sengun (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Kenyon Martin Jr. (14 points, 13 rebounds), will host the Spurs on Sunday.

Devonte’ Graham led the Spurs with 28 points on 7-of-12 3-point shooting. Jeremy Sochan and Zach Collins -- who grabbed 10 boards -- scored 14 apiece for the Spurs, who was without Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson.

The Spurs mustered replies when Houston extended to double-digit leads in the third quarter, first with a Graham 3 and then with a Collins driving layup.

Charles Bassey helped keep the Spurs afloat with eight points and two rebounds in the period.

But when Martin beat the buzzer with a transition basket off a Spurs turnover, the Rockets carried a 95-90 lead into the fourth.

Early opportunities at the free-throw line enabled the Spurs to erase an eight-point deficit in the opening period.

San Antonio converted seven of its eight free throws in the first quarter during a 17-4 run to take a 27-22 lead, a deficit Houston sliced to 32-29 by the start of the second. The Spurs scored eight points off five Houston turnovers in the period.

A Houston flurry initiated an entertaining back-and-forth between the teams, who combined for 10 lead changes and five ties by intermission. The Rockets, by virtue of 60.9 per cent shooting, led 70-68 at the half, doing its damage inside while accumulating 40 points in the paint.

The Spurs, conversely, drilled 11 of 20 3-pointers, led by Graham, whose 20 first-half points featured five 3s.