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Wembanyama, Fox fuel dominant performance as Spurs beat Rockets for 4th straight victory, 145-120

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Victor Wembanyama had 29 points, De’Aaron Fox had 20 points and 10 assists and the San Antonio Spurs won their fourth straight, rolling to a 145-120 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Stephon Castle added 23 points for San Antonio, which has won 15 of 16.

Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson had 23 points each for Houston, which allowed a season high in points.

The Spurs (47-17) won the season series against the Rockets 3-1 and strengthened their hold on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Houston (39-24) dropped into fourth in the West, a half-game behind Minnesota (40-24) and seven games behind San Antonio in the loss column.

The Rockets, who have alternated wins and losses over their past six games, allowed a season-most 56 points in the paint.

San Antonio had 38 assists while shooting a season-high 58% from the field, 53% (21 of 40) from 3-point range.

It all started with the Spurs’ 7-foot-4 All-Star.

Wembanyama was 9 for 13 from the field, including a reverse dunk through contact that resulted in a three-point play and an 83-61 lead three minutes into the third quarter.

Wembanyama opened the scoring with a 26-foot 3-pointer followed by an shot fake on a 3 before driving to the rim for a left-hand finger roll, both with Alperen Sengun closely defending.

San Antonio opened a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter but Houston rallied when Wembanyama took a seat.

Houston’s only leads came at 27-26 with two minutes left in the first quarter and 33-32 at the close of the period.

Keldon Johnson added 20 points for San Antonio, which is 2 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City in the West.

Up next

Rockets: Host Toronto on Tuesday night.

Spurs: Host Boston on Tuesday night.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

NYPD says dozens rescued from human trafficking during World Cup

▶ Watch Video: Inside look at security preparations for World Cup Forty-three people, including seven minors, were rescued from human traffickers during the World Cup matches in the New York City area, according to the New York City Police Department's Special Victims Unit.The rescue operations were carried out between June 11 and July 19 by specialized NYPD detectives who arrested 89 individuals."The surprise was really the outpouring of support behind the mission and the collaboration with all our partners," said Inspector Gary Marcus, commanding officer of the Special Victims Unit.Those rescued, largely the victims of sex trafficking, are now being supported with an array of social services for the victims, including food, housing and counseling.The 87 operations carried out during the World Cup have generated new leads, officials said, and law enforcement agencies are building more cases based on the investigations already underway."We have ongoing investigations now as a result of these operations," an NYPD official told CBS News.Major sporting events are known to law enforcement as hotbeds of human trafficking.Years in advance, the NYPD devoted significant resources to preparing for the World Cup. Eight matches were played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, including the final on Sunday."When we talk about the outreach and the prep we do, a large part of that involved visiting the known sex offenders, particularly the known human traffickers, in our registry," Marcus said. "Whether they're on parole or probation for human trafficking, we visited them to make sure they're compliant with the terms of their release, and secondly, to let them know that the NYPD is watching."The matches were held in multiple cities around the U.S., Mexico and Canada. Preparations to secure those games and prepare for crimes like human trafficking were coordinated between local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.Police departments in many locations that hosted World Cup matches have made arrests and rescues connected to human trafficking, including in Georgia, New England and Missouri. Nationally, there were more than 673 arrests on human-trafficking charges made during the World Cup, and 61 adults and 13 minors rescued, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
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