Houston Rockets finally defeat San Antonio Spurs

Houston, April 15 (IANS): Houston Rockets secured their last victory ahead of the NBA playoffs at the Toyota Center beating San Antonio Spurs 104-98, their first sweep of the Spurs since the 1988-89 season.

The Rockets got off to a fast start Monday, leading by 14 points in the first quarter. They kept the advantage till the middle of the third quarter when the Spurs began to make a round of surges, cut the double-digit deficit and overtook the hosts, reports Xinhua.

The Rockets had a late push in the final quarter and regained the lead before celebrating their first victory over the Spurs since 1988-89.

Dwight Howard and Terrence Jones each scored 20 points for Rockets, combining for 28 rebounds. Chandler Parsons chipped in with 21 while James Harden added 16 with seven assists.

Marco Belinelli led the Spurs with 17. The team limited the minutes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili with their top seed in the Western Conference playoffs already secure.

The victory helped Houston to lock up home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs where they will face the Portland Trail Blazers here this weekend.