San Antone outlast run by Rockets, 96-95.

The Rockets came into this home game against the Spurs on an eight-game losing streak that was only extended by the buzzer, as Brandon Ingram nearly had a perfect 1st Quarter with 18 points. The Duke star finished with 31 points. Flawless interior scoring by the Spurs shot them out to a 20-PT advantage by halftime as the Rockets continue to fall apart at the seams, sporting a 20-45 win/loss record this season as they are nowhere near playoff contention in the western conference, with a surefire top-to-bottom team blow-up bound to happen this summer.

To their credit, the Rockets put together a stunning rally for the home crowd, stealing the lead away if only for a breath, as Dejounte Murray dunked the Spurs to a road victory as Harden followed with a tough 3PT miss at the buzzer.

The Rest:

The Spurs won the 1st Quarter, 33-20. But it was Houston that won the second half, 26-19 & 26-16. Andre Drummond had 11 points, 13 rebounds with 2 blocks. Robert Covington had 25 points. Russell Westbrook scored 21 points, 9 rebounds with 7 assists but shot just 9-16. Still, he fared better than James Harden (17 points, 7-17, 1-8 3PT) and Eric Gordon (1-7, 0-6 3PT) as the three-ball simply refused to fall for the Rockets.

Ingram lifts Spurs past fierce road effort by Pelicans, 116-123.

Brandon Ingram took charge of the Spurs tonight, scoring 43 points in what became a very tough contest courtesy of a career-high 20 assists by fellow ex-Laker Lonzo Ball (17 points), who got his first layup attempt swatted by former teammate, Ingram, before involving Nikolai Vucevic (30 points, 8 rebounds) & sophomore sensation Zion Williamson (30 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks).

Supernova in his own right notwistanding, Ingram benefited from Andre Drummond (12 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks) being a force down low, as the Spurs eventually seized control late after overcoming an eight-point deficit. The Pelicans stayed within two points in the final minute, before a huge 3PTer by Ingram sealed the deal, courtesy of an offensive rebound by Drummond.

The Rest:

Dejounte Murray had 17 points, 7 rebounds & 12 assists. Kent Bazemore also scored 17 points, with 3 steals. P.J. Tucker contributed 12 points, hitting 4 three-pointers. Fred VanVleet had 10 points with 8 assists, whereas Joe Harris buried a trio of threes. The Pelicans only made one 3PT shot as a team. The Spurs pulled away late to win the 4th Quarter, 23-34.