AUSTIN, Texas — The San Antonio Spurs came within a basket of forcing overtime Friday night, but a blocked shot in the final second sent them to a 114-110 loss to the Houston Rockets in a Spurs home game played in Austin.
With the Spurs down two, Victor Wembanyama drove the lane for a tying layup, and Houston’s Amen Thompson swatted it away with under a second showing. Fred VanVleet then sank two free throws to close it out. One trip earlier, Wembanyama had banked in a deep 3-pointer, but it was wiped off because coach Mitch Johnson had already signaled for a timeout with 5 seconds on the clock.
Wembanyama finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Rookie guard Dylan Harper added 20, and his driving dunk with 46 seconds to go pulled San Antonio within two. The loss leaves the Spurs 0-2, while Houston is 2-0.
Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 29 points, scoring eight in a row during the fourth quarter. Kevin Durant, a former University of Texas star playing back in his college town, put up 20 points with six assists and seven boards, and he hit a key 3-pointer with 1:34 left. Thompson also scored 20 and grabbed 10 rebounds.
The first half ended level at 59 after VanVleet hit a long 3-pointer at the horn, wiping out a late San Antonio burst of nine points in three trips that featured a Julian Champagnie corner 3 and a Wembanyama dunk off a Stephon Castle feed.
Austin has been a second home for the franchise, which views the capital as part of a larger Central Texas fan region. Friday marked the ninth Spurs game in the city since the 2022-23 season, and two more Austin dates are set for February.
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Filed under: San Antonio TX Sports News
