Mar 17, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) attempts to get control of the ball away from Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes (5) during the second quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Jalen Green had 30 points and 13 assists on Monday, helping the Houston Rockets stage the largest comeback in franchise history to defeat the visiting Philadelphia 76ers 144-137 in overtime.
Jabari Smith also scored 30 points for Houston (44-25), which won its seventh straight game and did so despite trailing by 25 points early in the third quarter.
Dillon Brooks scored 25 points and Tari Eason added 21, while Alperen Sengun chipped in 13 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.
Philadelphia (23-45) lost for the seventh time in nine games, despite Quentin Grimes’ career-high 46 points, which he paired with 13 boards. Jared Butler scored 21 points and Justin Edwards had 18.
Sengun began overtime with a three-point play — the Rockets’ first lead of the game — followed by Green’s 3-pointer. Grimes and Smith then traded 3-pointers, before Grimes’ eighth trey cut Philadelphia’s deficit to 140-137 at the 2:21 mark.
Houston then held Philadelphia scoreless while making all four of its free throw attempts.
After leading by 21 at halftime, Philadelphia continued its momentum into the third quarter with 3-pointers by Edwards and Ricky Council IV giving the 76ers an 88-63 lead and prompting Houston’s timeout less than two minutes into the period.
The Sixers still led by 20 after Edwards’ hit a floater at the 7:19 mark of the third, before treys by Green and Fred VanVleet began a 14-3 Houston run to cut the Rockets’ deficit to single digits for the first time since the first quarter.
Jeff Dowtin Jr.’s layup later extended Philadelphia’s advantage to 12, but Houston finished the third quarter on a 13-1 run — including seven points by Smith — to tie the game at 102 entering the fourth.
From there, Grimes began the final quarter on a personal 7-0 run, and Butler followed with a 3-pointer to push the 76ers’ lead to 10.
Jae’Sean Tate’s layup and a pair of free throws by Green pulled Houston within three with 5:35 remaining, before seven straight Philadelphia points extended the lead to 10 again.
Smith and Brooks each hit triples to cut the 76ers’ lead to four with less than two minutes left, but Grimes’ 3-pointer gave Philadelphia a 129-121 lead with a minute left.
Trailing by five, Houston cut the margin to three on Green’s layup with 17.6 seconds remaining. A Philadelphia turnover and foul led to Smith splitting a pair of free throws, with Sengun tipping in the game-tying layup with 3.5 seconds left.
–Field Level Media
