Houston, TX (Sports Network) – Kevin Martin scored nine of his 33 points in overtime as the Houston Rockets pulled away for a 119-114 victory over San Antonio to hand the Spurs their sixth straight loss.
Kyle Lowry knocked down a step-back jumper with 3.9 seconds left in regulation to tie the game for Houston, while Manu Ginobili took too much time on a drive at the other end for snake-bitten San Antonio.
The Spurs also wasted precious seconds instead of fouling to stop the clock late in overtime, but they remain ahead of the Lakers for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
LA could trim its two-game deficit with a win Friday night against Utah.
The Grizzlies beat the Hornets in Memphis as well, meaning that the Rockets are now behind two different teams for the last two playoff spots as their records are now identical. The Rockets still have a game left with the Hornets.