Rockets rally to beat Spurs 111-106

By Canadian Press on January 20, 2026.

HOUSTON (AP) — Alperen Sengun had 20 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists to help the Houston Rockets rally for a 111-106 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night.

Reed Sheppard scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and Kevin Durant added 18 points to help the Rockets to their third straight victory.

Tipoff was delayed by 22 minutes after a player bent one of the rims during warmups and it had to be replaced.

The Rockets trailed by as many as 16 and were down by 10 before opening the fourth quarter with a big run to close the gap.

The game was tied with about two minutes to play when Sheppard blocked a 3-point attempt by Julian Champagnie. Jabari Smith Jr. put the Rockets on top 106-104 with a fadeaway shot a few seconds later.

Sengun made a basket with about 30 seconds left to extend the lead to 108-104 before Stephon Castle missed a 3-point attempt. Sheppard added two free throws after that to seal the victory.

Champagnie made eight 3-pointers and led the Spurs with 27 points on a night Victor Wembanyama was held to 14 points with 10 rebounds. Champagnie’s performance came after he set the franchise record by sinking 11 3-pointers in a win over the Knicks on Dec. 31.

Houston trailed by five midway through the fourth before Sheppard scored all of the team’s points during an 8-2 run that put the Rockets on top 101-100 with about four minutes to go.

SUNS 116, 76ERS 110

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Devin Booker scored 27 points and Jalen Green added 12 points in his return to the lineup as Phoenix beat Philadelphia in a matchup of teams playing the second game of a back to back.

Grayson Allen and Jordan Goodwin scored 16 points apiece and Collin Gillespie and Oso Ighodaro each added 12 as the Suns won their third straight game and for the 12th time in 16 games.

Rookie VJ Edgecombe led the 76ers with 25 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. finished with 21 points and Tyrese Maxey added 20. Andre Drummond finished with 15 rebounds and eight points for the Sixers, who lost for the fourth time in six games.

Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid (right ankle injury management) and Paul George (left knee injury management).

Green played in just his third game of the season, and his first since Nov. 8, because of a right hamstring injury. He is in his first season with the Suns, arriving in the offseason as part of the trade in which Kevin Durant was sent to the Houston Rockets.

BULLS 138, CLIPPERS 110

CHICAGO (AP) — Coby White scored 27 points and hit six of Chicago’s franchise record-tying 25 3-pointers in a win over surging Los Angeles.

White had the touch again after hitting a season-high seven 3s in Sunday’s blowout win over Brooklyn, and the Bulls made 25 of 47 from beyond the arc.

Matas Buzelis added 21 points, Ayo Dosunmu scored 18 and Kevin Huerter added 14. All three players made four 3s.

Nikola Vucevic added 19 points and eight rebounds, and the Bulls had their way with a team that came in rolling. The Clippers had won six straight and 13 of 15 since a 6-21 start.

Chicago led by 21 points at the half after matching a season high with 45 points in the second quarter and broke the game back open after Los Angeles made a run in the third.

James Harden led Los Angeles with 24 points. John Collins scored 23 and matched a season high with five 3-pointers.

JAZZ 127, TIMBERWOLVES 122

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Keyonte George scored a career-high 43 points, Jusuf Nurkic recorded his second career triple-double, and Utah rallied to beat Minnesota.

Nurkic finished with 16 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists in his first triple-double since Jan. 16, 2019, with Portland in a 129-112 win over Cleveland.

Rookie Ace Bailey scored 20 points and Isaiah Collier had 18 points and 10 assists for the Jazz (15-29), who delivered coach Will Hardy his 100th career victory.

George scored more than 30 points for the third time in his last six games.

Anthony Edwards scored 38 points for the Timberwolves (27-17), who squandered a 15-point lead and closed out a four-game trip with three straight losses. Julius Randle scored 19 points and Rudy Gobert added 11 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks.

Edwards had a three-point play that pulled Minnesota within 121-119 before George responded with a 3-pointer from the corner with 59.2 seconds left that give the Jazz the cushion needed to halt their four-game skid.

Bailey sparked an 11-2 run with an electrifying dunk and a 3-pointer that gave the Jazz the lead with 7:47 to play in the fourth quarter. The Jazz scored on their first 11 possessions of the final period.

The Associated Press