San Antonio Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson called a timeout with his team down double digits in the third quarter. The team had just given up a couple of easy baskets due to poor transition defense. Whatever
he said in the huddle worked. The Spurs came out of that timeout looking like a different team. They ratcheted up the defense and attacked the glass to shut down the Houston Rockets, coming back from a 16-point deficit for a 111-99 road victory.
Victor Wembanyama willed the Spurs back into the game with his aggression on both ends. The big man had 28 points, 16 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the win. Houston was physical with San Antonio all night, but Wemby and the rest of the Spurs matched their physicality in the second half to secure the victory. The Spurs did all of their work inside, outscoring the Rockets 72-48 in the paint.
Houston got good performances from its big three of Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Amen Thompson, but couldn’t overcome the Spurs’ defense late in the game, only scoring 13 points as a team in the fourth quarter. Thompson led the Rockets with 25 points on 11-23 shooting.
The Spurs improved to 32-15 on the season with the win. Next, they’ll head to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Saturday.
Observations
- The Rockets shot 60% from the floor in the first quarter on their way to 36 points. The Spurs went on to outscore them in every following quarter.
- After a few poor defensive efforts in transition, Victor Wembanyama turned up the intensity on both ends, helping the Spurs go on a 9-2 run to end the half. It was the start of the run that ultimately won them the game.
- When the Spurs gave their starters a breather with 5 minutes to go in the fourth, Dylan Harper stepped up to keep San Antonio ahead by getting to the lane and scoring around the Rockets’ defenders. It was another solid clutch performance from the rookie, who finished with 16 points on 8-11 shooting.
- Stephon Castle was tremendous defensively. He single-handedly took Sengun and Durant out of the game in the second half. He focused his full effort on the defensive end and made a winning impact. Castle stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 2 steals.
- The Spurs’ bench was excellent on Wednesday night. They outscored the Rockets’ bench 38-14.
- Luke Kornet didn’t attempt a single shot, but his impact was felt throughout his 19 minutes. He protected the rim and kept the Rockets off the glass in the second half. Kornet was a +8 in his minutes.
