National Basketball Association

Rockets hand Spurs franchise-record 17th consecutive loss

Published Dec. 11, 2023 11:41 p.m. ET

Tari Eason had a season-high 18 points and 14 rebounds off the bench as the Houston Rockets beat San Antonio 93-82 on Monday night and dealt the Spurs their franchise-record 17th consecutive loss.

Top overall pick Victor Wembanyama had 15 points, 18 rebounds and five blocks, along with an overpowering dunk over Houston's Alperen Sengun in the third period, but it wasn't enough to get the Spurs back in the win column.

San Antonio hasn't won since a 132-121 victory over Phoenix on Nov. 2.

The Rockets won their 10th straight home game and third in a row overall.

A tip-in by Wembanyama got San Antonio within four points with about four minutes remaining. Fred VanVleet made a 3-pointer for Houston seconds later before Sengun blocked a shot at the other end to give the Rockets the ball back.

Eason added a dunk to stretch Houston's lead to 86-77 with three minutes left. The Spurs called a timeout, but it didn't help as Houston used a 5-2 run, with another 3 by VanVleet, to make it 91-79 with less than a minute left.

VanVleet added 16 points and Sengun had 15 for the Rockets.

San Antonio shot 5 of 41 (12%) from 3-point distance. Keldon Johnson missed all nine of his long distance shots and Devin Vassell went 1 for 9.

The Rockets held an eight-point lead after a basket by Eason with about nine minutes to go. A 7-3 run by San Antonio, with the first four points from Vassell, cut the lead to 77-73 with about 6½ minutes left.

The Spurs used a 6-0 run to tie it early in the third, but Houston got 3s from Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. on consecutive possessions to start an 8-0 spurt that gave the Rockets a 61-53 lead.

Aaron Holiday made a 3-pointer to push Houston's lead to 10 points late in the third quarter before the Spurs made the last three points of the quarter, with a shot from Wembanyama, to get within 69-62 entering the fourth.

Rookie Amen Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the draft, had two points and five rebounds in his return after missing the last 13 games with a sprained right ankle.

UP NEXT

Spurs: Host the first of consecutive home games against the Lakers on Wednesday.

Rockets: Host Memphis on Wednesday.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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