Victor Wembanyama delivered a dominant all-around performance with 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks as the San Antonio Spurs rallied from a double-digit deficit to beat the Houston Rockets 111-99 on Wednesday night.
San Antonio trailed by as many as 16 and didn’t take its first lead until late in the third quarter. The Spurs seized control to start the fourth, opening the period with an 11-0 run powered by Wembanyama, who scored nine points during the surge, including five free throws, to put San Antonio ahead 95-86 with under eight minutes remaining.
Houston briefly pulled within five on free throws by Alperen Sengun, but the Spurs answered with a decisive 10-4 run. Rookie Dylan Harper scored six points in that stretch, helping San Antonio push the lead to 107-96 with about 2½ minutes left.
The performance marked a strong bounce-back for Wembanyama, who was held to 14 points on 5-of-21 shooting in a loss to Houston last week. The win also gave the Spurs a 2-1 edge in the season series, with the finale set for March 8 in San Antonio.
Amen Thompson led the Rockets with 25 points, while Kevin Durant added 24. Sengun finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists, but Houston struggled from the floor, shooting 39.4% overall. Thompson went 11 of 23 and Sengun 7 of 20 as the Rockets couldn’t match San Antonio’s efficiency.
The Rockets led by 11 midway through the third quarter before San Antonio mounted a 16-4 run to climb within 79-78. Keldon Johnson scored nine points in that stretch and Harper added four. Houston held a slim 86-84 edge entering the fourth after a late dunk by Thompson, but the Spurs dominated the final period.
San Antonio shot 53.7% from the field and controlled the game down the stretch to secure the comeback win.
Up next:
Spurs: At Charlotte on Saturday.
Rockets: At Atlanta on Thursday night.
