The BreakdownGrind
Rockets make 28 free throws to edge Spurs in a grind
San Antonio took 87 shots to Houston's 78, and the Rockets still won 114-110 after going 28 of 31 at the line.
The Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-110 in San Antonio on Friday night. Much of the box score stayed close. The Spurs took more shots, the Rockets moved the ball a little more, and the clearest gap sat at the free-throw line.
| HOU | Stat | SAS |
|---|---|---|
| 48.7 | FG% | 46.0 |
| 40.0 | 3PT% | 32.4 |
| 44 | Rebounds | 40 |
| 8 | Off. rebounds | 9 |
| 78 | FG attempts | 87 |
| 15 | Turnovers | 15 |
The ball changed hands evenly
Each team committed 15 turnovers. Houston had 11 steals, San Antonio 10.
The giveaways were bunched on the Spurs' side. De'Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell had five apiece, while Fred VanVleet played 32 minutes for Houston without one. VanVleet and Tari Eason each came up with three steals, and so did Vassell and Julian Champagnie for San Antonio. Neither team won this column.
The Spurs shot more, the Rockets shot better
San Antonio took 87 shots to Houston's 78 and made 40 of them, against 38 for the Rockets. Houston shot 48.7% from the field, San Antonio 46.0%.
The split was wider from deep. The Spurs attempted 37 threes and made 12, a 32.4% night. The Rockets attempted 25 and made 10, good for 40.0%. Stephon Castle went 3 of 9 from beyond the arc, and Kevin Durant went 2 of 2.
Houston also had more rebounds, 44 to 40, though San Antonio grabbed 9 offensive boards to Houston's 8. The Rockets finished with 25 assists to the Spurs' 21.
The line belonged to Houston
The Rockets went 28 of 31 at the free-throw line. The Spurs went 18 of 25.
Durant made all eight of his attempts and finished with 20 points on just 10 shots from the field. Alperen Sengun went 7 of 8. Eason went 4 for 4 off the bench. For San Antonio, Victor Wembanyama made 5 of 8 and Luke Kornet 3 of 5.
Sengun led all scorers with 29 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists on 10-of-20 shooting. Amen Thompson added 20 points and 10 rebounds. Wembanyama answered with 25 points and 13 rebounds, and Dylan Harper scored 20, up from the 11.8 he averaged last season.
Set the columns side by side: even turnovers, more shots for San Antonio, a better percentage for Houston, and a wide gap at the line. The final margin was four.