Spurs rebound from loss to Warriors, pound Rockets
SAN ANTONIO (AP) - LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 points and 10 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs rebounded from their worst loss in three years to bash the Houston Rockets 130-99 on Wednesday night and remain undefeated at home.
San Antonio (39-7) has won 25 straight at home to open the season and 34 consecutive dating back to last season.
Aldridge bounced back - as did the rest of the Spurs - after he was held to five points and three rebounds in a 30-point loss to Golden State on Monday.
San Antonio had 32 assists and shot 56 percent from the field in snapping Houston's three-game winning streak and handing the Rockets their worst loss of the season.
James Harden had 20 points and Dwight Howard added 13 for Houston.
San Antonio was without Tim Duncan for a second straight game due to a sore right knee, but he wasn't needed as the Spurs won their league-high 17th game by at least 20 points.
It was the type of feel-good victory San Antonio needed after a crushing loss to Golden State in what was supposed to be a showdown between the league's two best teams.
After that 120-90 beating, which prompted Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to stay it felt like "we just got beat by 74," San Antonio had a season-high 69 points in the first half against Houston.
Danny Green led the way, going 5 for 7 on 3-pointers in the first half as San Antonio raced to a 20-point lead at the half. Green finished 6 for 8 on 3-pointers and scored 18 points, matching season highs for points and made 3s.
Kawhi Leonard also had 18 points and Tony Parker added 15 points and seven assists.
TIP-INS
Rockets: The highest first-half production by an opponent prior to Wednesday was 65 points by Oklahoma City on Nov. 2. . Howard was listed as questionable for Wednesday's game with a sprained left ankle, but he played 22 minutes against the Spurs. In addition to shooting 3 for 5, he had eight rebounds, two blocked shots and an assist. . Houston is 10-0 when Trevor Ariza scored 20-plus, but he was held to eight points on 2-for-6 shooting by San Antonio. . The Rockets are 21-16 since J.B. Bickerstaff took over as interim coach after starting the season 4-7 under Kevin McHale. They have scored at least 100 points in 30 of 37 games under Bickerstaff.
Spurs: San Antonio tied the Portland Trail Blazers for seventh all-time with its 34th straight home victory. The Trail Blazers' streak ran from March 5, 1977, to Feb. 3, 1978. The Chicago Bulls hold the all-time mark with 44 straight wins from March 1995 to April 1996. . The Spurs matched their best start after 46 games, equaling the 39-7 mark set in 2010-11.
UP NEXT
Rockets: At Oklahoma City on Friday night.
Spurs: At Cleveland on Saturday night.