Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson recorded double-doubles, and the Houston Rockets shook off a sluggish first half and beat the visiting Sacramento Kings 121-95 on Wednesday.
Sengun paired 28 points with 10 rebounds while Thompson added 20 points and 12 rebounds plus seven assists. Kevin Durant posted 24 points and eight assists for the Rockets, who pulled away in the third quarter after Sacramento matched its largest lead at 63-57.
Sengun, Thompson and Durant teamed for the opening six points of a 21-3 run that featured dunks from Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. (14 points, eight rebounds) and a second-chance basket from Steven Adams, who chipped in 11 points and eight boards off the Houston bench. Durant completed a three-point play with 2:55 left in the third to lift the Rockets to a 78-66 lead.
The Rockets produced a 62-32 rebounding advantage. Houston also outpaced the Kings 78-46 on points in the paint while finishing with a 30-7 edge in fast-break points.
Rookie Maxime Raynaud scored a career-high 25 points for the Kings, one of three reserves to reach double figures for Sacramento. Malik Monk also produced 25 points while Precious Achiuwa added 10 points.
Starters DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook scored 12 points apiece for the Kings, who were without Domantas Sabonis (knee) and Dennis Schroder (hip). Westbrook added nine assists.
Behind Raynaud, the Kings overcame six early turnovers and trailed 28-26 entering the second quarter. Raynaud scored 12 first-quarter points before the Rockets erased an early deficit in the second with an 8-0 spurt to a 40-36 lead. But the Kings fashioned a reply behind DeRozan, who scored 10 points in the period to power Sacramento to a 52-51 halftime lead.
DeRozan nailed a corner jumper to give the Kings the lead at the intermission. When Sacramento opened the second half on a modest roll, the Rockets finally found the offensive rhythm to wrestle control for good. The Rockets shot 13 of 26 from the floor and hit 10 of 11 free throws in the third period.
