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By Canadian Press

Whitmore has season-high 25, Sengun adds 24 as Houston Rockets rout Toronto Raptors 135-106

Feb 2, 2024 | 8:46 PM

HOUSTON (AP) — Rookie Cam Whitmore scored a season-high 25 and Alperen Sengun had 24 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in just three quarters to lead the Houston Rockets to a 135-106 rout of the Toronto Raptors on Friday night.

Houston led by double figures for most of the game and was up by 30 after three, allowing coach Ime Udoka to rest his starters for the entire fourth quarter.

Rockets rookie Amen Thompson, the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft, also had a season high with 19 points.

Scottie Barnes had 28 points and Immanuel Quickley added 25 for the Raptors, who lost for the sixth time in seven games.

The Raptors went on a 13-4 run, with five points from Quickley, to get within 84-69 with about five minutes left in the third quarter. But Houston scored the next 16 points, highlighted by two 3s from Whitmore, to extend the lead to 100-69 with about a minute left in the quarter.

Houston’s Fred VanVleet had 10 points and six assists in the first meeting with his former team. He spent his first seven NBA seasons with the Raptors.

Houston led by seven with about eight minutes left in the first quarter before going on a 10-2 run to make it 32-17 near the end of the quarter. The Rockets didn’t let up in the second and pushed the lead to 66-47 by halftime.

The Rockets were up by 26 with about four minutes left when seldom-used big man Boban Marjanovic entered the game to a huge ovation. The crowd erupted again when he made two free throws about a minute later, and many fans stood and applauded when he added a dunk with about two minutes to go.

UP NEXT

Raptors: Visit Oklahoma City Sunday night.

Rockets: Visit Minnesota Sunday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

Kristie Rieken, The Associated Press


by Canadian Press