The San Antonio Spurs left Toyota Center Tuesday night with a familiar and frustrating feeling, undone once again by a late-game collapse in a 111–106 loss to the Houston Rockets that spoiled an otherwise encouraging road performance.
For much of the evening, the Spurs were the sharper, more composed team. They opened the game with one of their best offensive quarters of the season, building a 39–28 lead behind quick ball movement, confident shooting, and an aggressive defense that kept Houston scrambling.
San Antonio pushed the pace, shared the ball freely, and capitalized on early mismatches to seize control.
That momentum carried into the second quarter, where the Spurs continued to dictate tempo. Victor Wembanyama provided flashes of brilliance throughout the night, but Houston’s defense on him was on point. He finished with just 14 points on 5-of-21 shooting, his worst performance of the season. Despite that, San Antonio entered halftime with a double-digit advantage and appeared well-positioned to secure a road win.
But as has been the case too often this season, sustaining that level proved difficult.
“A lot of things went wrong in the fourth quarter,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson said. “Houston did a heck of a job… but we had a rough whole half. We missed open shots, we weren’t strong in creating leads, passing, and mental stuff. It was a variety of things across the board.”
The game began to tilt late in the third quarter when the Spurs’ offense stalled. Open looks that fell earlier in the night stopped dropping, and possessions grew increasingly stagnant. Houston took advantage, trimming the deficit with transition opportunities and second-chance points that energized the home crowd.
What followed in the fourth quarter was decisive.
The Rockets opened the final period with renewed confidence, while the Spurs struggled to find rhythm. The Rockets outscored San Antonio 29–14 over the final 12 minutes. The Spurs went cold at the worst possible time, going 0-for-8 before their first made basket of the frame. The prolonged scoring drought allowed Houston to erase the remainder of San Antonio’s lead, and the Rockets surged ahead behind a series of perimeter shots and aggressive drives to the rim. San Antonio managed just 14 points in the quarter, a stark contrast to the offensive efficiency that defined the opening half.
“They (Houston) got some good one-on-one defenders, and now you’re playing against those guys a lot of times against the clock. And then when that happens, you get rushed up again at times. And we saw that, not just with Victor, but the whole team,” Johnson said of his team’s offensive struggles in the second half.
Houston’s guards repeatedly penetrated the Spurs’ defense, forcing rotations that led to open looks and timely baskets. Meanwhile, San Antonio’s possessions were rushed, with contested jumpers and missed opportunities at the rim rearing their head as the main problem. The Spurs had chances to regain control, but key stops and baskets never materialized.
Late-game execution — both offensively and defensively — remains a work in progress for a Spurs team balancing development with the desire to win now. Missed rotations, untimely fouls, and an offense that bogged down under pressure proved costly against a Houston team that seized the moment.
“It’s the same as blowing a 15-point lead,” Wembanyama said when asked about blowing a 16-point lead to Houston. “The good thing is we’re all onto the problem, and we’re all putting our minds into it. But we’re conscious that it is a problem.”
For a young team still learning how to win in hostile environments, Tuesday night served as another hard lesson. Until San Antonio finds consistency in crunch time, strong starts and encouraging stretches will continue to be overshadowed by disappointing finishes.
Game notes
- Someone needs to open an investigation to that rim situation. Can the Houston team get a more accurate level? I’m kidding obviously. but man that was annoying.
- Outside of Julian Champagnie, who shot 50 percent from three, the rest of the Spurs struggled. San Antonio went 6-for-18 from beyond the arc sans Champagnie. That’s an issue that needs to be addressed at some point.
- San Antonio had nine turnovers on the night with Stephon Castle and De’Aaron Fox having three each.
- Keldon Johnson had an “off night” by his standards, scoring just 12 points on the night. That’s not so bad, but when Harrison Barnes (6 points, 33% shooting) continues to struggle, that number needs to be better for the Spurs to win.
- San Antonio looked tired and it hit them in the fourth quarter. Maybe the back-to-back caught up with them, but in the end, you learn and move on.
