Victor Wembanyama finished with 28 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocks as the San Antonio Spurs erased a 16-point deficit to defeat the Houston Rockets 111-99 on Wednesday night at Toyota Center.
San Antonio did not take its first lead until late in the third quarter, then controlled the fourth behind Wembanyama’s presence on both ends of the floor.
The Spurs opened the final period with an 11-0 run, fueled by nine points from Wembanyama, five of them at the free-throw line, to go ahead 95-86 with less than eight minutes remaining.
Houston briefly pulled within five after two free throws by Alperen Sengun, but San Antonio responded with a 10-4 burst to reestablish separation.
Dylan Harper scored six points during that stretch, pushing the lead to 107-96 with about 2:30 left and halting the Rockets’ momentum.
Wembanyama shot 8-of-15 from the field and 12-of-15 at the line, anchoring a Spurs offense that shot 53.7 percent overall.
The performance came one week after Wembanyama struggled against Houston, shooting 5-of-21 for 14 points in a loss.
San Antonio trailed by 11 midway through the third quarter before using a 16-4 run to climb back into the game. Keldon Johnson scored nine points in that span, while Harper added four.
The Spurs took their first lead at 79-78 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, shifting the tone of the contest.
The teams entered the fourth separated by two points after Amen Thompson’s dunk gave Houston an 86-84 edge.
De’Aaron Fox contributed 18 points and eight assists for San Antonio, while Stephon Castle added 16 points, six assists, and five rebounds.
Johnson finished with 17 points off the bench, giving the Spurs three double-digit scorers outside of Wembanyama.
Houston was led by Thompson, who scored 25 points on 11-of-23 shooting. Kevin Durant added 24 points, while Sengun posted 18 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists.
The Rockets shot just 39.4 percent from the field and struggled in the second half against San Antonio’s interior defense.
Sengun went 7-of-20 from the floor and 3-of-7 at the free-throw line as Houston failed to match the Spurs’ efficiency late.
The win gave San Antonio a 2-1 edge in the season series, with the final meeting scheduled for March 8 in San Antonio.
With the victory, the Spurs improved to 32-15 and remained second in the Western Conference standings.
Houston fell to 28-17 and stayed fourth in the West after dropping a home game it controlled for much of the first half.
San Antonio travels to Charlotte on Saturday, while Houston begins a road trip Thursday night in Atlanta.
