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In routing Spurs, Kevin Porter Jr. deals Rockets to rare winning streak

Ben DuBose
·6 min read
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Kevin Porter Jr. scored an efficient 19 points and dished out a season-high 13 assists on Sunday, leading the Houston Rockets to an emphatic 142-110 win (box score) over San Antonio at Toyota Center.

For the young and rebuilding Rockets (15-49), who are now tied for the NBA’s worst record with Detroit, it’s only the fourth time in the 2022-23 season that they’ve won consecutive games. They also defeated the Spurs (16-49) on Saturday in San Antonio. That combination of results could significantly help the Spurs from the perspective of the 2023 NBA draft race, pending future results.

The Rockets are 2-1 since Porter returned last Wednesday from a 20-game absence with a left foot contusion. For the season, the Rockets are 3-18 (.143) when their starting point guard is out of the lineup — good for a win pace of under 12 games over a full 82-game campaign — and 12-31 (.279) when he plays, which is a 23-win pace.

Porter made 7-of-11 shots (63.6%) versus the Spurs, including 3-of-5 on 3-pointers (60.0%). In his injury absence, the Rockets were largely devoid of point guards, with undrafted second-year guard Daishen Nix and rookie TyTy Washington picking up the bulk of minutes.

Backcourt mate Jalen Green scored a game-high 31 points Sunday on 11-of-19 shooting (57.9%), including 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Starting center Alperen Sengun added 15 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals for the Rockets on 6-of-9 shooting (66.7%).

Other Houston players in double figures included:

  • Tari Eason: 17 points, 8 rebounds; 7-of-13 shooting (53.8%), 1-of-3 on 3-pointers (33.3%)

  • Jae’Sean Tate: 16 points, 2 rebounds; 5-of-7 shooting (71.4%), 1-of-1 on 3-pointers

  • KJ Martin: 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists; 5-of-7 shooting (71.4%), 1-of-1 on 3-pointers

  • Jabari Smith Jr.: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists; 3-of-6 shooting (50.0%), 1-of-1 on 3-pointers

After sitting out Saturday, Devin Vassell returned to San Antonio’s lineup with 13 points and a team-high 5 assists, though Houston held him to 5-of-15 shooting (33.3%) and 2-of-8 on 3-pointers (25.0%).

Scroll on for highlights, analysis, and postgame interviews. Next up for Houston is Tuesday night’s home game versus Brooklyn, with tipoff from Toyota Center set for 7:00 p.m. Central.

Highlights

Analysis and Interviews

Story originally appeared on Rockets Wire