HOUSTON – Kevin Martin scored 25 points, Kyle Lowry had 14 points and eight assists and the Houston Rockets took advantage of Tim Duncan's absence to beat the San Antonio Spurs 105-102 on Saturday night.
Goran Dragic scored 14 and Samuel Dalembert added 12 points and a season-high six blocks for the Rockets, who have won six in a row.
Tony Parker had 24 points and a season-high 13 assists for the Spurs, who were playing their fourth game in five nights. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich rested Duncan, who played 25 minutes in Friday night's loss to Sacramento. Tiago Splitter had a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs.
The Rockets shot 56 percent (44 of 79) to make up for the Spurs' 43-32 edge in rebounds.
Houston opened the game with a 9-0 run after the Spurs missed their first four shots and coughed up three turnovers in the first 2½ minutes.
The Rockets continued to shoot well in the second quarter, but the Spurs began scoring inside to stay close. Parker turned a steal into a fast-break layup, then hit a driving one-hander to tie it 41-all.
Dalembert dunked with a minute left in the half, and Houston led 55-49 at the break. Parker had 13 points and seven assists in the first half.
Matt Bonner and Jefferson opened the second half with 3-pointers to tie it again. Martin then scored the next seven points, finishing the burst with his second 3-pointer.
With Parker on the bench for much of the quarter, the Spurs rallied again and Splitter's layup cut the deficit to 72-71. Parker returned with 2:21 left in the quarter, and his long jumper just before the buzzer drew the Spurs to 77-75.
Splitter spun for a layup early in the fourth to tie the game and his career-high point total (18), set last season. Gary Neal's 3-pointer with 9:56 left gave the Spurs their first lead, 82-79.
Parker then came out of the game and did knee bends behind the bench, with a towel and a heating pad pressed against his left hip. San Antonio led 84-83 when Parker returned with 7:39 remaining.
Patrick Patterson and Dalembert hit short jumpers, and the Rockets retook the lead. Lowry scored on a drive, then swished a 3-pointer to stretch the margin to seven with 3 minutes left.
Bonner sank a 3 and Neal hit a runner in the lane to cut the lead to 101-99 with 1:15 left. The Rockets nearly lost the ball in the backcourt, but Dragic picked up the loose ball and just beat the shot clock with a one-hander to put Houston up by 4.
Jefferson sank a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, but Martin made two free throws to put it away for the Rockets.
Notes: The Spurs are 1-3 starting their stretch of 16 of 21 games on the road. ... Splitter recorded his second double-double. ... Parker was four assists shy of his career high, set last season. ... The Rockets have held double-digit leads in nine straight games, tying the longest streak since 2008-09. ... The teams were playing for the third time this season, and wrap up their four-game season series in San Antonio on Feb. 1.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.