
HOUSTON Rockets pulled away in the second half to defeat Washington Wizards, 135-112, in the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season on Tuesday night (Wednesday in the Philippines) at the Capital One Arena in Washington, District of Columbia.
Filipino-American guard Jalen Green led the way with 29 points, including seven three-point conversions, to go with eight rebounds and two assists as the Rockets improved to a 24-12 record.
Alperen Şengün added 26 points and 10 rebounds, Amen Thompson had 20 points and 15 boards, Fred VanVleet tallied 19 points and 12 assists, and Cam Whitmore ended with 17 markers for the Rockets.
Holding to a slim 57-55 lead at the half, the Rockets created separation in the third quarter behind six three-point conversions from Green to establish a 97-79 advantage.
The Rockets widened the lead further in the fourth period with connections from VanVleet, Thompson, and Whitmore as it reached its largest at 135-112 late in the game.
Corey Kispert tallied 23 points to lead the Wizards, Jonas Valanciunas and Jared Butler added 18 and 14 markers, respectively, while Carlton Carrington and Bilal Coulibaly had 12 apiece as they dropped to 6-28.
Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks (21-16) overcame the absence of two key players to score an 118-97 rout over Los Angeles Lakers (20-16) at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
Quentin Grimes led the way with 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists, while PJ Washington contributed 22 markers and eight rebounds for the Mavericks.
Spencer Dinwiddie chipped in 19 points, while Jaden Hardy and Klay Thompson had 13 and 12, respectively, for the Mavericks, which played without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Anthony Davis ended with 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Lakers, while LeBron James had a near triple-double of 18 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists./PN
BOX SCORE:
HOUSTON 135 — Ja. Green 29, Şengün 26, Thompson 20, VanVleet 19, Whitmore 17, Brooks 11, Je. Green 7, Holiday 4, Tate 2, Adams 0, Landale 0, Williams 0.
WASHINGTON 112 — Kispert 23, Valanciunas 18, Butler 14, Coulibaly 12, Carrington 12, Kuzma 10, George 9, Champagnie 7, Baldwin 5, Sarr 2, Gill 0, Holmes 0.
Quarterscores: 20-30, 57-55, 97-79, 135-112.