(Field Level Media) Fred VanVleet scored 20 points, Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson added double-doubles and the Houston Rockets cruised to a 114-101 victory over the host Charlotte Hornets yesterday.
VanVleet tallied 18 points on 7-for-9 shooting in the first half, and his shot-clock buzzer-beater lifted Houston to a 31-point halftime lead. The Rockets led by as many as 34 points en route to winning both halves of a back-to-back and the opening two games of a three-game road trip.
Smith paired 21 points with 11 rebounds while Thompson added 19 points and 11 boards. Cam Whitmore scored 17 off the bench and Alperen Sengun added 16 points and eight rebounds.
The Rockets, who played without Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Tari Eason (leg), controlled the glass, posting a 59-44 rebounding advantage over the Hornets, who’ve lost 13 of 14 games.
Miles Bridges posted 24 points and eight rebounds and LaMelo Ball added 23 points and eight assists. Ball sparked an 11-0 run with two 3-pointers early in the third quarter to pull the Hornets to within 23 points. Bridges had a four-point play in the fourth quarter, and his free throws with 4:53 left sliced the deficit to 108-89.
Ball finished 5 for 11 from behind the arc.
