Vembanyama, Sochan help Spurs hold off resilient Rockets to win home game, 109-106

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama scored 29 points, Jeremy Sochan added 17 points and 12 rebounds and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Houston Rockets 109-106 on Saturday night in their home opener.

Vembanyama added seven rebounds and three blocks on 10-for-17 shooting from the field.

Chris Paul added three points and nine assists, including a drive and feed to Sochan for an open layup that put San Antonio up 104-99 with 1:35 left.

Trailing by 22 points in the first half, Houston held the ball by one possession for most of the final minutes. The Rockets went on a 21-8 run in the first six minutes of the final quarter to turn an 18-point deficit into a 95-90 San Antonio lead.

Jalen Green scored 27 points for Houston. Fred VanVleet added 18 and Dillon Brooks had 16.

Takeout

Rockets: Houston squandered a good finish with a bad start. After shooting 34 percent through three quarters, including 17 percent in the second period, the Rockets shot 60 percent in the final quarter.

Spurs: San Antonio went 2-for-13 on 3-pointers after opening the game 6-7.

The key point

After struggling at times to get the ball into Wembanyama’s hands around the rim last season, a pair of passes from Paul brought plenty of hope and loud celebrations. Paul’s first drive led to a dunk for Wembanyama with 2:12 left in the first half, giving the Spurs a 57-38 win. A minute later, Paul and Vembanyama repeated the dunk, giving the Spurs a 59-38 advantage.

Key statistics

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich emphasized the need for his team to be more physical, and the Spurs responded by beating Houston 57-46.

Further

The Rockets will face the Spurs again on Monday to complete a two-game set in San Antonio.

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