SAN ANTONIO (Sporting Alert) — James Harden had 22 points and 11 assists and Dwight Howard finished with 15 points and 16 rebounds in the Houston Rockets’ 109-92 win over the San Antonio Spurs in preseason action Thursday night.
The Rockets who have been receiving the backing of several pundits to do some damage in the Western Conference, shot 40 for 89 for 45 percent from the field and outscored the Spurs 46-30 in the paint.
Chandler Parsons and Omri Casspi each had 16 points and Jeremy Lin contributed 11 points, six assists and four boards off the bench for Houston.
Power forward Aron Baynes led the Spurs with 16 points and six rebounds in a reserve role and Danny Green and Marco Belinelli supported with 12 points each.
The San Antonio Spurs went 3-4 in preseason, while the Houston Rockets have won five consecutive games and are 5-1 in preseason.
Howard and the Rockets will close out their preseason campaign against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night.
Top Performers
Houston: J. Harden 22 Pts, 3 Reb, 11 Ast, 3 Stl
San Antonio: A. Baynes 16 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk
