The San Antonio Spurs delivered one of their most efficient offensive performances of the season Sunday night, defeating the Houston Rockets 145-120 at Frost Bank Center.
Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points to lead the way as San Antonio secured its fourth consecutive victory. The win continued the Spurs’ dominant stretch, with the team winning 15 of its last 16 games.
San Antonio improved to 47-17 and strengthened its grip on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. The Spurs remain 2.5 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder while widening the gap over Houston in the standings.
De’Aaron Fox orchestrated the offense with 20 points and 10 assists. Stephon Castle added 23 points, while Keldon Johnson scored 20 points off the bench.
The Spurs overwhelmed Houston with pace, spacing and ball movement.
San Antonio shot a season-best 58 percent from the field and connected on 21 of 40 attempts from three-point range. The team also recorded 38 assists, consistently generating open shots throughout the game.
Wembanyama set the tone early.
The 7-foot-4 All-Star opened the scoring with a 26-foot three-pointer and followed it with a shot fake from the perimeter before driving for a left-handed finger roll against Alperen Sengun.
San Antonio built a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter, but Houston briefly responded.
The Rockets took their only two leads late in the opening period, going ahead 27-26 with two minutes remaining and finishing the quarter in front 33-32.
The momentum shifted quickly in the second half.
Wembanyama powered through contact for a reverse dunk that resulted in a three-point play, extending the Spurs’ advantage to 83-61 early in the third quarter. The sequence ignited a decisive run that Houston could not recover from.
San Antonio also dominated the perimeter.
The Spurs converted 53 percent of their three-point attempts, stretching Houston’s defense and opening driving lanes for Fox and Castle.
Houston struggled to slow San Antonio’s interior scoring.
The Rockets allowed a season-high 56 points in the paint while surrendering the most points they have given up all season.
Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson each scored 23 points to lead Houston. Jabari Smith Jr. added 17 points, while Sengun finished with 16 points and six rebounds.
Despite solid individual scoring, Houston’s defense struggled to contain San Antonio’s ball movement and shot creation.
The Rockets dropped to 39-24 and slipped to fourth place in the Western Conference standings. Minnesota moved ahead into third place at 40-24, leaving Houston seven games behind San Antonio in the loss column.
Houston will attempt to rebound Tuesday night when it hosts the Toronto Raptors. The Spurs return to Frost Bank Center on Tuesday to face the Boston Celtics.
