Dillon Brooks scored 27 points, Jalen Green added 22 and the visiting Houston Rockets rallied past the Raptors 114-110 on Sunday night, sending Toronto to its seventh straight loss.
Alperen Sengun contributed 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists for the Rockets, who have won two straight. Jabari Smith Jr. scored 15 points and grabbed nine boards, Cam Whitmore added 11 points and Amen Thompson chipped in 10 points for Houston, which 44.9 percent from the field (40 of 89), including 25 percent from 3-point range (7 of 28).
Toronto’s Ja’Kobe Walter scored 14 of his career-best 27 points in the first quarter before fouling out. Chris Boucher scored 15, Ochai Agbaji also notched 15, Gradey Dick contributed 14, Jamal Shead matched his career best with 11 and Jamison Battle also scored 11 for the Raptors, who shot 45.7 percent from the floor (42 of 92) and 39.5 percent from beyond the 3-point arc (17 of 43).
Houston outscored Toronto by 18 at the free-throw line, making 27-of-33 attempts compared to 9-of-13 shots.
Toronto led by 14 before taking a 35-24 lead after the opening quarter. Houston committed nine turnovers in the quarter, leading to 17 Raptors points.
The Raptors scored the first five points of the second quarter to build a 16-point cushion. The Rockets stormed back, trimming the margin to three midway through the quarter. Toronto led 57-51 at halftime.
Houston opened the second half with a 10-3 surge and led by one with 9:32 left. Toronto regained the lead at 75-73 on Boucher’s dunk with 3:13 to play, but Houston bounced back with four straight points. Boucher’s three-point play gave Toronto a four-point advantage near the end of the third. But Thompson answered with a three-point play and Brooks made a layup to put Houston ahead 84-83 after the third.
The Rockets opened the fourth quarter with an 8-3 burst. Walter came back with five straight points, cutting the Raptors’ deficit to one. Houston’s 9-0 run pushed its lead to 10 with 5:49 left, but Toronto cut the lead to three on Agbaji’s dunk with 22.7 seconds to play. Toronto got the ball on Houston’s 21st turnover with 16.9 seconds left but turned the ball over, also for the 21st time.
Toronto’s RJ Barrett (illness) and Jakob Poeltl (groin) and Houston’s Tari Eason (leg) did not play.
–Field Level Media