March 10, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) reacts after scoring a goal in the first quarter of the game against the Toronto Raptors at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Kevin Durant scored a game-high 29 points, and Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. each had 23 points in the fourth quarter of the Houston Rockets’ 113-99 win over the visiting Toronto Raptors on Tuesday.
Durant made 12 of 16 shots from the field, including four 3-pointers, to power a balanced offensive attack. Smith shot 8 of 14 from the field and made three 3-pointers, while Thompson made 10 free throws and added a team-high six assists. Smith and Thompson were key to a fourth-quarter rally that turned a three-point lead entering the frame into a 15-point cushion.
Alperen Sengun (14 points, 12 rebounds) ignited the game with a 3-point play, increasing Houston’s lead to 91-83 with 10 minutes and 22 seconds left. Thompson added a 3-pointer, his only of the contest, and Smith converted a mid-court steal into a transition dunk for a 98-87 advantage.
The Rockets led 102-87 when Smith converted a layup off a Brandon Ingram foul after a frantic scramble on the offensive end. Houston led by as many as 20 people in the final frame.
RJ Barrett paced the Raptors with 25 points and six rebounds, and Scottie Barnes added 24 points. Toronto cut the deficit to 10 points, 73-72, in the bottom of the third inning, and then the Rockets pulled away.
Barnes single-handedly offset the Rockets’ hot start from the perimeter. While Houston got off to a 3-for-3 start from deep, Barnes hit a pair of 3-pointers and added an emphatic dunk to put Toronto ahead 22-21 at the 2:41 mark of the first quarter. Following Durant and Smith, who scored a combined 22 points in the opening period, the Rockets scored 60% of their points in the first quarter.
However, six turnovers by the Rockets in the first allowed the Raptors to create a 29-29 deadlock entering the second. Barrett took the baton from Barnes in the second quarter and finished with 11 points in the frame, facilitating a back-and-forth period that included six lead changes and two ties.
Houston finally expanded its work margin during the first half and took advantage as the Raptors committed three turnovers and missed four field goals to close out the second. The Rockets led 58-49 at the break, their largest margin of the half.
–Field level media
