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Dwight Howard powers Rockets’ rout of Spurs, 98-81

Rockets center Dwight Howard looks for a shot against Spurs center Aaron Baynes in the first half Thursday night in Houston.
(Patric Schneider / Associated Press)
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Dwight Howard scored 32 points and grabbed 16 rebounds as the Houston Rockets continued their dream start, beating the in-state rival San Antonio Spurs, 98-81, on Thursday night at Houston.

Howard exploited a Spurs interior that was missing two key players, Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter. Manu Ginobili also was held out of the game for rest a night after helping San Antonio to a 94-92 win over the Atlanta Hawks.

Howard and Houston took advantage, leading the game wire to wire on the way to a league-best 6-0 record. With the loss, the Spurs dropped to 2-2.

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James Harden had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Rockets.

Cory Joseph led the Spurs with 18 points off the bench and Aron Baynes had 12 points.

at Portland 108, Dallas 87: The Trail Blazers trailed the Mavericks 50-46 at the half but outscored them 35-18 in the third quarter. Portland’s LaMarcus Aldridge had 20 points, and Damian Lillard added 18 points. The game was delayed several minutes midway through the fourth quarter when a fan collapsed.

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