ROCKETS DEFEAT RAPTORS
Rockets snap a six-game skid with win over the Raptors
Feb 9, 2025, 4:37 pm
The Rockets beat the Raptors, 94-87. Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
Dillon Brooks scored 19 points, Jalen Green added 18 and the short-handed Houston Rockets snapped a six-game skid with a 94-87 win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday.
The Raptors led by four early in the fourth quarter before Houston used a 14-2 run to make it 77-69 with about 7 minutes to go.
Houston was up by four a couple of minutes later when Green made two 3-pointers to power a 9-3 spurt that extended the lead to 86-76.
The Rockets were without Fred VanVleet for a fifth straight game because of an ankle injury and Steven Adams was out because they played Saturday. All-Star Alperen Sengun left in the first quarter with back spasms.
Jeff Green and Jock Landale filled in for Sengun and Green had a season-high 14 points while Landale added 11 with a season-best 10 rebounds.
Immanuel Quickley had 20 points for the Raptors, who lost a fourth straight.
Takeaways
Raptors: Toronto missed Gradey Dick in the second half after he left the game with a neck bruise following a collision with Amen Thompson near the end of the second quarter. Dick, who averages 15.6 points, didn’t score before exiting the game.
Rockets: Although the Rockets escaped this one with a win, they desperately need VanVleet back to steady their offense and get them back on track.
Key moment
The Rockets trailed by four early in the fourth quarter when Jamison Battle was called for a foul on Jeff Green. The play was reviewed and upgraded to a flagrant 1 foul after officials ruled Battle hit Green in the groin area. Green made both free throws to start the big run that gave Houston the lead for good.
Key stat
The Raptors made just 8 of 42 3-pointers.
Up next
The Raptors visit the 76ers on Tuesday night and Houston hosts the Suns on Wednesday.
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Jamal Murray had 39 points, Michael Porter Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds and the Denver Nuggets beat Houston 116-111 on Sunday night to snap the Rockets' nine-game win streak.
Murray, who scored 17 in the first half, had 17 in the third quarter as Denver outscored the Rockets 39-22 in the quarter to take a 96-79 lead.
Russell Westbrook had 14 points off the bench, Aaron Gordon scored 13 points with eight assists and DeAndre Jordan had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Nuggets, which shot 51% and were 10 of 21 on 3-pointers.
Jalen Green scored 30 points, and Dillon Brooks added 21 points for Houston. Alperen Sengun had 17 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Steven Adams finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Rockets, which shot 44% and were 11 of 34 from behind the arc.
Trailing 109-100 with 1 ½ minutes left, Houston used a 7-1 run to cut the lead to three on a Sengun layup with 21 seconds left, but Christian Braun made two free throws with 19 seconds remaining to push the lead back to five.
Takeaways
Nuggets: Nikola Jokic missed his fourth straight game with left ankle impingement, and Denver improved to 2-2 with him out of the lineup.
Rockets: Houston remains in second place in the Western Conference with 10 games left, but the Nuggets closed to within a game of Houston.
Key moment
Sengun made one of two free throws with 14 seconds remaining, and Murray made two free throws two seconds later to push the lead to 114-108.
Key stat
Houston finished 22 of 34 from the free throw line, while Denver made 18 of 26.
Up next
Denver hosts the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, while Houston hosts the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night.