Rockets beat 76ers 113-102
The Houston Rockets topped the Philadelphia 76ers 113-102 in another recent result highlighted by NBA social coverage. (The game was listed alongside other notable late-season matchups in the social briefing.) (x.com).
Houston beat Philadelphia 113-102 on April 9 at Toyota Center, stretching the Rockets’ winning streak to eight games. (nba.com) Kevin Durant scored 29 points for Houston, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Amen Thompson added 19 each. The Rockets finished with a 53-47 rebounding edge and 16 offensive boards. (nba.com) Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia with 24 points, VJ Edgecombe had 20 points and eight assists, and Quentin Grimes added 20. Paul George shot 2 for 8 and scored seven points in 24 minutes. (nba.com) Houston led for 44 minutes, 38 seconds, according to the play-by-play log, in a game with five ties and seven lead changes. The Rockets entered the night at 49-29 and left it at 50-29 before improving again later in the week. (basketball-reference.com) The result landed in the final week of the regular season, with the SoFi Play-In Tournament set to start April 14 and the playoffs to open April 18. Houston was listed at 51-30 on April 12, while Philadelphia was 43-36 and seventh in the Eastern Conference standings. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2) That made the game part of two different late-season pushes: Houston was tightening its Western Conference position, and Philadelphia was trying to hold a top-eight spot in the East. The 76ers were tied in record with Orlando at 43-36 on April 12, with Charlotte one game back at 43-37. (nba.com) Houston did it without Fred VanVleet and Steven Adams, who were listed as inactive, while Philadelphia played without Joel Embiid, Cameron Payne, Dalen Terry and Johni Broome. The Rockets still put six players in double figures and shot 45.2% from the field. (nba.com) The Rockets were back home again on Sunday, April 12, to close the regular season against Memphis. Philadelphia’s regular-season finale was set for the same day against Milwaukee. (nba.com) (espn.com) For Houston, the 113-102 win over Philadelphia fit the timing every contender wants in April: a home victory, a deeper rotation producing, and a streak still alive with the postseason days away. (nba.com 1) (nba.com 2)
