Durant, Thompson lead Rockets to 113-99 win over Raptors

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HOUSTON (AP) — Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Amen Thompson scored 23 points as the Houston Rockets beat the Toronto Raptors 113-99 on Tuesday night.

Durant shot 12 of 16 from the field while adding seven rebounds. He scored 22 of his points in the first half.

Thompson eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time in six games. He converted on 6 of his 10 field goal attempts while making 10 free throws.

Jabari Smith Jr. also added 23 points for the Rockets, who pulled into a tie for third place in the Western Conference standings. Alperen Sengun scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.

Houston shot 60% in the first quarter and outrebounded the Raptors 11-5, but with the help of six Rockets’ turnovers the game was tied at 29. The Rockets closed the first half on a 14-4 run to take a 58-49 halftime lead.

The Rockets shot 49% from the field for the game and outrebounded the Raptors 53-30, finishing with 22 second chance points to Toronto’s five.

RJ Barrett’s 25 points led the Raptors. Scottie Barnes scored 24 points, but Toronto made just 9 of 36 three-point attempts.

The Raptors’ lead over the Orlando Magic for fifth place in the Eastern Conference is down to ½ game.

Raptors: At the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.

Rockets: At the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA