Durant and Thompson lead the Rockets past the Nets 120-96 for their 4th straight victory

NEW YORK (AP) — Kevin Durant had 22 points and a season-high 11 assists, Amen Thompson scored 23 points and the Houston Rockets beat the Brooklyn Nets 120-96 on Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.

Alperen Sengun had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists after a two-game absence for the Rockets, who started fast in both halves to win in Brooklyn for the first time in seven years. Tari Eason finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, and Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard each scored 14 points.

Sengun was 8 for 12 from the floor after sitting out two games with a left calf injury.

Cam Thomas scored 21 points for the Nets, who dropped their second straight after winning three in a row for the only time this season. Ziaire Williams added 14.

Michael Porter Jr., who leads the Nets with a career-high 25.8 points per game, missed the game with an illness along with injured starting guards Egor Demin and Terance Mann. Without them, Brooklyn never led in its first home loss to Houston since Nov. 2, 2018, after winning the last six.

The Nets went 7-4 in December and allowed an NBA-low 104.6 points per game, but the Rockets jumped on them immediately to start the new year. Houston made its first seven shots en route to a 16-5 lead, went up by 14 in the second quarter and took a 53-42 advantage to the break.

Houston then made its first five 3-pointers and started 8 for 9 overall in the second half. Smith and Eason each hit two 3s and Thompson made one in a 19-5 run that extended their 11-point lead to 74-49 when Smith hit back-to-back 3s.

The Rockets played without centers Steven Adams (sprained right ankle) and Clint Capela (illness).

Rockets: Visit Dallas on Saturday.

Nets: Visit Washington on Friday.

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

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) dunks against Brooklyn Nets guard Drake Powell (4) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) handles the ball against Brooklyn Nets center Day'Ron Sharpe (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) is fouled by Brooklyn Nets guard Nolan Traore during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

Brooklyn Nets forward Noah Clowney (21) defends against Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Seven-time Grand Slam singles champion Venus Williams has received a wild-card entry for the Australian Open beginning Jan. 18 in Melbourne.

The tournament said Friday that the 45-year-old Williams would make a return to Melbourne Park 28 years after her first appearance. In 1998, she defeated her younger sister Serena in the second round before losing in the quarterfinals to fellow American Lindsay Davenport.

Venus had announced in November that she would play in Auckland, New Zealand, where she also received a wild card, two weeks before the Australian Open. The Australian Open said Williams was also entered to play a tournament in Hobart, Australia a week later and just before play begins at Melbourne Park.

She last appeared in Melbourne in 2021 and has finished runner-up in the women’s singles twice, losing to Serena in the finals in 2003 and 2017.

“I’m excited to be back in Australia and looking forward to competing during the Australian summer,” Williams said. “I’ve had so many incredible memories there, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to return to a place that has meant so much to my career.”

Williams' record at Melbourne Park is 54 wins and 21 losses. This year will be the 22nd time she has appeared in the main draw.

The tournament said Williams is set to become the oldest woman to compete in an Australian Open main draw, surpassing the record previously held by Japan’s Kimiko Date, who was 44 when she lost in the first round at Melbourne Park in 2015.

In late December, Williams married Danish-born model and actor Andrea Preti at Palm Beach, Florida.

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

FILE - U.S. tennis player Venus Williams poses for a photo during the 2026 Pirelli calendar launch in Prague, Czech Republic, Friday, Nov. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

FILE - Andrea Preti, left, and Venus Williams attend the CFDA Fashion Awards, hosted by The Council of Fashion Designers of America, at The American Museum of Natural History on Monday, Nov. 3, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Venus Williams, of the United States, returns a shot with partner Leylah Fernandez, of Canada, during a quarterfinal doubles match at the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sept. 2, 2025, in New York. (AP Photo/Heather Khalifa, File)