NBA: Jalen Green's 36 points carry Rockets past Spurs

Jalen Green poured in 36 points, 24 of them in the first half, as the visiting Houston Rockets defeated the San Antonio Spurs 106-101 on Monday.

The Rockets split the teams' two-games-in-three-nights series after the host Spurs won 109-106 on Saturday.

In the rematch, Houston led by 21 points with 3:17 to play in the third quarter before the Spurs came roaring back, closing to within 88-86 on a Stephon Castle layup with 8:07 remaining in the fourth.

However, Green reeled off the ensuing six points on a three-point and then a step-back 3-pointer with 5:47 to play, and the Rockets were able to hold sway.

Jabari Smith Jr. added 17 points for Houston, which has alternated losses and wins through four games. Alperen Sangun racked up 12 points and 12 rebounds and Fred VanVleet scored 11 points and dished out nine assists.

Jeremy Sochan led San Antonio with 22 points. Chris Paul hit for 16 points, Malaki Branham scored 15 points, Victor Wembanyama amassed 14 points and 20 rebounds and Zack Collins added 11 points for the Spurs, who have lost two of their first three games.

The Rockets outscored San Antonio 14-3 over the game's first four-plus minutes behind five points each from Smith and Green. Houston's second unit kept up the momentum, pushing the advantage to 29-15 after a Tari Eason tip-in to end the opening period.

Green hit four straight 3-pointers beginning at the 3:21 mark of the second quarter to help Houston expand its lead to 62-45 at the break, the largest advantage of the contest to that point. Green had 12 of the Rockets' final 14 points of the first half and led all scorers with 24 before halftime, having hit six of his seven shots from beyond the arc.

Paul and Sochan paced the Spurs with 10 points each in the half.

San Antonio culled its deficit to as few as 12 points when Sochan went to work in the lane for a hook shot with 8:03 to play in the third quarter.

The Rockets swung back and built the lead to 80-59 after two free throws by Cam Whitmore with 3:17 remaining in the period before San Antonio countered, getting a pair of 3-pointers from Branham to pull within 87-75 heading to the final 12 minutes.

—Field Level Media/Reuters