Amen Thompson blocks Victor Wembanyama in the final second as the Rockets beat the Spurs 114-110

Amen Thompson blocked Victor Wembanyama's game-tying layup with less than a second left, and the Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-110 on Friday night at Moody Center in Austin. Fred VanVleet made two free throws after the block for the final points.

The finish had a twist. On the possession before, Wembanyama banked in a long 3-pointer that would have changed the game, but it did not count. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson had called timeout with 5 seconds left before Wembanyama let it go, according to the Associated Press. San Antonio got the ball back, and the 6-foot-7 Thompson met the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama in the lane.

Alperen Sengun led Houston with 29 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, and he scored eight straight Rockets points in the fourth quarter. Thompson finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 9-of-15 shooting. Durant had 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists on 5-of-10 shooting, and his 3-pointer with 1:34 left was one of the biggest shots of the night. Durant was the national college player of the year at Texas in 2006-07, and he had plenty of fans in a building that was technically a Spurs home game. VanVleet added 14 points and three steals, and Tari Eason scored 12 off the bench.

Wembanyama bounced back from his 1-for-13 opener with 25 points and 13 rebounds, though he shot 9 for 21. Dylan Harper scored 20, including a driving dunk that cut Houston's lead to two with 46 seconds left. De'Aaron Fox had 19 points and nine assists, and Stephon Castle added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Neither team led by much. Houston's biggest lead was 11, and San Antonio's was one. VanVleet tied the game at 59 with a long 3-pointer just ahead of the halftime buzzer, after the Spurs had scored nine points in three trips to close the half. The Rockets won the free-throw line, going 28 for 31 to San Antonio's 18 for 25, while the Spurs went 12 for 37 from 3-point range.

The Spurs have played nine games in Austin since 2022-23 and have two more scheduled there in February.

Houston is 2-0 and plays at Atlanta on Saturday. San Antonio is 0-2 and visits Dallas on Saturday.