DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points and the San Antonio Spurs were at their best late in the fourth quarter to beat the visiting Houston Rockets 103-91 on Saturday in the second game between the teams over three days.
Jakob Poeltl and Dejounte Murray added doubles to the Spurs.
The Spurs led by three points going into the fourth quarter and by just 85-82 with 7:54 left before they put together a 10-0 late to finish Houston.
After courting up just nine players in a 109-105 win over the Spurs Thursday, Houston only had eight healthy players (the league at least needed) available Saturday. The eighth, Rodions Kurucs, who were acquired as part of James Harden ‘s Rockets trade to Brooklyn on Wednesday, joined the team Saturday morning.
Murray had 18 points and 10 rebounds for San Antonio with Poeltl scoring 13 and giving 11 rebounds, with Keldon Johnson and Patty Mills hitting for 11 points each.
Christian Wood and Mason Jones led Houston with 24 points apiece while Ben McLemore beat for a high-21 season. Woods replayed 18 highs; Jones’ point sum was at a senior level.
The Rockets went up as much as nine points early in the second quarter. San Antonio collected the game tie late in the period before Jones ’3-point lead with 1.1 seconds left allowed Houston to take a 53-50 lead at half-time.
McLemore stopped the Rockets with 18 points over the first 24 minutes, with Jones and Wood adding 12 points to each half and Wood catching 10 rebounds before halftime.
DeRozan led San Antonio with 13 points in the first half while Poeltl put 11 off the bench.
San Antonio went 1 for 10 from outside the arc in the half, missing their first eight 3-point attempts, but stayed within reach by forcing Houston to 12 turns to 16 points in the first half.
3-back support points by Murray and Mills allowed the Spurs to give up the last six points of a three-quarter save to give San-7 a 75-72 lead into the final 12 minutes .
–Field Media Level