Dillon Brooks led the way with 27 points, Jalen Green added 22, and the Houston Rockets snapped a long losing streak in Toronto, defeating the struggling Raptors 114-110 on Sunday night for their first win north of the border in over five years.
Alperen Sengun contributed a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds as Houston secured its first victory in Toronto since December 5, 2019. In that last win, current Rockets guard Fred VanVleet had scored 20 points as a member of the championship-winning Raptors.
Ja’Kobe Walter had a breakout game for Toronto, scoring a career-high 27 points before fouling out. Chris Boucher and Ochai Agbaji each chipped in 15 points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Raptors’ losing streak from stretching to seven games, including six consecutive home losses.
Walter carried Toronto’s offense early, scoring the team’s first 14 points of the game before Gradey Dick finally ended the streak with a free throw at the 7:06 mark of the first quarter.
Jamal Shead finished with 11 points and a career-best 10 assists for the Raptors, who played without RJ Barrett for the second straight game due to illness.
Takeaways
Rockets: Fred VanVleet, who missed Houston’s game in Toronto last season due to injury, made his first return as an opponent but struggled offensively. He didn’t score until the game’s final minute, finishing with eight rebounds, five assists, and just one made field goal on 1-of-10 shooting, including 0-for-5 from three-point range.
Raptors: Scottie Barnes was active on the boards, grabbing 10 rebounds, but had a tough night offensively. He managed just six points on 2-for-15 shooting, including a disappointing 0-for-8 from beyond the arc. He missed his first eight shots of the game.
Key Moment
With Houston clinging to a lead in the fourth quarter, Sengun set up Cam Whitmore for a highlight-reel alley-oop dunk, extending the Rockets’ advantage to 99-91 with 6:58 left in the game—their largest lead at that point.
Key Stat
Houston struggled with ball control early, allowing 23 points off 14 first-half turnovers. While they tightened things up after halftime, the Rockets still finished with a season-high 21 turnovers.
Up Next
Both teams hit the road Monday, with Houston facing the Charlotte Hornets and Toronto traveling to New York to take on the Knicks.
