Houston Rockets (40-24) beat Toronto Raptors (36-28) 113-99 at home on Tuesday, March 10.
The game, quarter by quarter
The teams matched each other with 29 points apiece in the first quarter, leaving it level at 29. The Rockets moved in front with a 29-20 second quarter, carrying a 9-point lead into halftime.
The Raptors won the third 34-28 to stay in front, taking a 3-point lead into the fourth. The Rockets took the fourth 27-16; the Rockets finished the job for a 113-99 regulation win.
What decided it
The Rockets grabbed 39.5% of their own misses, while the Raptors recovered 15.9%. The Rockets got more from their shots, finishing at 56.1% effective field-goal shooting compared with 49.4% for the Raptors. The second chances kept adding up.
The Raptors did win one battle, ball security: TOV% of 13.5 against 17.7. The Rockets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 96 possessions per team, the Rockets produced 117.6 points per 100 possessions to 103 for the Raptors.
Who made the difference
Kevin Durant was the game's biggest individual force for HOU: 29 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast on 12-16 shooting. His Game Score of 27 led everyone. His team was +7 with him on the floor.
RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 25 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast on 10-18 shooting, good for a 17.8 Game Score.
Alperen Sengun (14 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast) recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Rockets about a 73% chance.
Across the last 3 meetings in our records, Houston Rockets lead 3-0.
The Rockets are now 40-24, and the Raptors are 36-28. The Rockets last five before this game: L-W-L-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.