Voltar
In perhaps the biggest highlight of his NBA career to date, Amen Thompson blocked Victor Wembanyama at the rim to secure Houston’s 114-110 victory (box score) over the San Antonio Spurs.
With five seconds left and the Rockets up by two points, the Spurs found the 7-foot-4 big man posted up near the basket. Yet, despite standing nine inches shorter in height, Thompson timed his contest perfectly and rejected the shot without fouling or goaltending.
Fred VanVleet secured the loose rebound and, after being fouled, hit both free throws to provide the final margin.
Key individual statistics included:
Thompson: 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks; 9-of-15 shooting (60.0%), 1-of-2 on 3-pointers (50.0%)
Alperen Sengun: 29 points, 7 assists, 7 rebounds; 10-of-20 shooting (50.0%), 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50.0%), 7-of-8 on free throws (87.5%)
Kevin Durant: 20 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists; 5-for-10 shooting (50.0%), 2-of-2 on 3-pointers, 8-of-8 on free throws
VanVleet: 14 points, 5 assists, 3 steals; 3-of-8 on 3-pointers (37.5%)
Wembanyama (Spurs): 25 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks; 9-of-21 shooting (42.9%)
Dylan Harper (Spurs): 20 points, 3 rebounds; 8-of-15 shooting (53.3%)
Friday’s game was played at the Moody Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus, where Durant played his college basketball two decades ago. Yet, because Austin is significantly closer to San Antonio than Houston, it was very much still a road game for Durant and the Rockets.
After advancing to the 2026 NBA Finals, the Spurs (0-2) remain winless to start the 2026-27 campaign. However, it’s worth noting that their two losses came to Houston and the Oklahoma City Thunder, a pair of perceived Western Conference heavyweights.
The Rockets, who blew out Dallas in Wednesday’s regular-season opener, are now 2-0.
Next up for the Rockets is Saturday’s game at Atlanta, which will be on night two of a road back-to-back. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised and streamed regionally on Space City Home Network (SCHN) and nationally via NBA League Pass.