HOUSTON (AP) \u2014 Kevin Durant scored 29 points and Amen Thompson scored 23 points as the Houston Rockets beat the Toronto Raptors 113-99 on Tuesday night.<\/p>\n
Durant shot 12 of 16 from the field while adding seven rebounds. He scored 22 of his points in the first half.<\/p>\n
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Thompson eclipsed the 20-point mark for the fifth time in six games. He converted on six of his 10 field goal attempts while making 10 free throws.<\/p>\n
Jabari Smith Jr. also added 23 points for the Rockets, who pulled into a tie for third place in the Western Conference standings. Alperen Sengun scored 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.<\/p>\n
Houston shot 60 per cent in the first quarter and outrebounded the Raptors 11-5, but with the help of six Rockets\u2019 turnovers the game was tied 29-29. The Rockets closed the first half on a 14-4 run to take a 58-49 halftime lead.<\/p>\n
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The Rockets shot 49 per cent from the field for the game and outrebounded the Raptors 53-30, finishing with 22 second-chance points to Toronto\u2019s five.<\/p>\n
RJ Barrett\u2019s 25 points led the Raptors. Scottie Barnes scored 24 points, but Toronto made just nine of 36 three-point attempts.<\/p>\n
The Raptors\u2019 lead over the Orlando Magic for fifth place in the Eastern Conference is down to 1\/2 game.<\/p>\n
UP NEXT<\/p>\n
Raptors: Visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Rockets: Visit the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
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