After a surprise loss Thursday against a Houston team with something to prove after James Harden’s trade, the Spurs took their revenge. A strong fourth quarter was enough for San Antonio to take the Rockets down 103-91.
From the start, it looked like the Spurs were taking this game seriously and making some adjustments. DeMar DeRozan, who was largely passive in the previous game, was early in the attack and Christian Wood was guarded by a perimeter player and not by LaMarcus Aldridge. No tweak was particularly effective, as Wood still released or assisted and made the right move against an unorthodox San Antonio defense, while Houston’s starters did well early on to make the most of the Spurs’ point threats. contained, but it was good to see the coaching staff make tactical changes instead of relying only on depth and talent against a severely undermined opponent.
Hot shooting outside fueled a strong start from the Rockets and sustained them for most of the first half, but trouble began to appear for the visitors when their beginners needed a breather as their second unit existed. from the recently arrived Rodions Kurucs, the attacking- David Nwaba and the rookie Kenyon Martin Jr. challenged. When the deficit was almost double digits, the Spurs began to shoot away, first with the help of a second unit that was larger and more disciplined than that of Houston, and then with a solid effort from the starter later in the second quarter. Had it not been for a buzzer-beater by a red-hot Damon Jones, the score would have been equal to half.
As expected, the deeper Spurs made a pressure in the third quarter. Wood held their own for a while, but eventually San Antonio claimed the lead. Unfortunately, the three points do not fall for the Silver and Black just when they need to create separation. Both teams went back and forth over a very sloppy stretch, with the Rockets scoring enough points to stay in the game despite handling turnover issues and an almost crippling lack of shots. Houston even regained the lead for a while before two long balls from Patty Mills and Dejounte Murray got San Antonio back in control in the final period.
As courageous as Houston’s attempt to steal another serious game from the Spurs, it was also doomed to fail. The Rockets refused to let go completely, but the Spurs kept them at arm’s length for most of the fourth quarter. Gregg Popovich even kept Jakob Poeltl on the track over Aldridge to give the team a better defensive presence inside, which worked. The lead slowly but surely grew to double digits as Houston struggled to find a reliable source of points, while San Antonio, although never looking particularly sharp, had no problem putting points on the board. There was no tension late or a chance of upset as the Spurs sailed to a comfortable victory.
Game notes
- DeMar DeRozan once again had a chance more than he had points against the Rockets, but tonight he pulled the trigger 25 times instead of just 14. Ideally, DeRozan would find a better balance between delaying too early and to chuck inefficiently, but he struggled to do so against Houston. He also looked very irritated over calls during the last two games and got a technical version in this one. Hopefully he will get his form against the next opponent again.
- Is it fair to worry about Aldridge? He missed a lot of time with an injury and did not really have a proper training camp to learn the team’s new style of play. So it’s tempting to give him a pass, but he was bad on both sides. Pop went with Poeltl (who had a slow start this season) to close out the game, and I was relieved. Jacob had his best game of the season against a Rockets team that did not have a rugby center and deserved those minutes, but Aldridge is supposed to be a big piece of the puzzle this year, and it is not a good sign that the team does not look. considerably better if he is off the floor.
- The Spurs had their lowest assistant total of the season. This is not too surprising, as DeRozan was in point mode and it was tempting to just drive all the way to the bucket on a Rockets defense that often did not have a skin protection. There’s also the fact that the tries for most of the game did not fall, so it might have skewed the numbers. At least the turnover was not too high, despite the offense not looking sharp. Houston had about the same amount of assistants, but also ten more times, so maybe this time around we’ll just give the Spurs a pass, because it was such an ugly game.
- Dejounte Murray had a double double with points and rebounds. He also made a few tries and had good defensive games. Since Lonnie Walker IV and Keldon Johnson were just decent and combined just 19 points, starting lineup Murray needed to be aggressive. Murray still has plenty of room to grow, but he has undoubtedly made a leap this season.
- The bank surpassed Houston’s by a significant margin, but other than Poeltl, it was not great. Patty Mills and Rudy Gay were not as effective, and Devin Vassell, despite still having great potential on defense, continued to struggle with his outside shot and missed his three long-range attempts (he has in the past only one made from outside the arc) five games). Their joint work was adequate against the second unit of an exhausted Rockets, and it would be unfair to single them out if everyone struggles, but the Spurs will need more off the bench in future.
- The Rockets can be fun at full strength. The starting lineup of John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Danuel House, PJ Tucker, Christian Wood is good and they can get minutes from DeMarcus Cousins and Eric Gordon, plus other guys like Ben MacLemore, David Nwaba, Mason Jones and Jae’Sean Tate – whoever was awful Saturday but wonderful Thursday. Trading Tucker and Gordon makes sense, but if they keep it, the playoffs could be a real possibility for Houston.
Next game: @ Trail Blazer on Monday
The Blazers recently lost Jusuf Nurkic due to injury and started with Enes Kanter, meaning the Spurs will have to attack the edge. On the other hand, it’s certainly a challenge to contain Lillard and McCollum, but if San Antonio can do that, a win in Portland is not out of the question.