Spurs edge Rockets on Mills' late 3-pointer
HOUSTON -- Patty Mills turned a scrambled offensive possession into a 3-pointer with 12.9 seconds left as the San Antonio Spurs erased a 13-point, fourth-quarter deficit en route to a 102-100 win over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night at Toyota Center.
Houston (21-8) had its 10-game winning streak snapped amid eight fourth-quarter turnovers. The Rockets also missed 31 of 38 3-point attempts, including a wide-open look from guard Eric Gordon following the Mills basket. The Rockets' streak of games with at least 10 3-pointers made ended at 27.
Mills and Manu Ginobili combined for 25 points off the San Antonio bench, hitting 7 of 11 3-pointers. Kawhi Leonard paced the Spurs (23-5) with 21 points while LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
San Antonio's Pau Gasol finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Houston guard James Harden posted 31 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists but missed 10 of 11 3-point tries. Gordon missed 7 of 8 from behind the arc while scoring 13 points. Trevor Ariza contributed 16 points and four steals for the Rockets.
In a riveting final period filled with runs, the Rockets answered an 8-0 spurt by the Spurs with eight consecutive points, six at the free-throw line, to reclaim a seven-point lead. That was part of a larger 17-3 run that pushed the lead to 96-83, but the Spurs responded immediately with an 11-0 blitz to close the deficit to two.
With the Spurs leading 67-61, Houston closed the third quarter with a 17-4 surge. Harden sank three free throws, converted a driving layup and added three more points from the line to carry the Rockets to a 78-71 lead entering the fourth period.
The Spurs' inability to take full advantage of the Rockets' cold start from the perimeter proved instrumental in the Houston comeback. While Aldridge and Leonard were effective from numerous spots on the floor, the Spurs couldn't generate the complementary offense to punish the Rockets for their early struggles.
Houston started 0 of 14 from behind the arc and didn't record its first 3-pointer until Ariza sank a corner shot with 4:04 left in the first half. Harden and Eric Gordon added treys in succession, and after trailing by as many as 10 points earlier in the half, Houston sliced the deficit to 44-43 with three minutes left in the period.
The Spurs extended the lead to seven by the break, but the tone was set for the Rockets to keep clawing on both ends despite their wayward shooting from deep.
NOTES: Rockets C Clint Capela will miss at least four weeks after sustaining a small left fibula fracture Saturday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Capela, averaging 11.8 points, 8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game, will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Houston started veteran Nene at center and could use F Ryan Anderson there as well. ... The Spurs featured their full complement of players. In the previous meeting between the teams on Nov. 12 in Houston, the starting backcourt of Tony Parker and Danny Green were together for the first time. ... The Rockets recalled C Chinanu Onuaku from their NBA D-league partner, Rio Grande Valley. Onuaku ranked third in the D-league with an average of 10.3 rebounds over 16 games with the Vipers. He also ranked fifth in shooting from the floor at 62.8 percent.