Rockets Comeback Falls Short in 109-106 Loss to Spurs
Digging from a Drought. Green Lining. Rivalry Renewed.
Maybe the I-10 Rivalry is back, potentially. Despite the result, this turned out to be quite the entertaining basketball game. It didn’t appear that way in the second quarter, as Houston endured one of the worst droughts in the franchise’s history. The Rockets scored only 10 points in the second frame, and saw seven point deficit grow to as many as 22 points. Trailing by 19 points entering the final period, Houston stormed back in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell short, losing in San Antonio to the Spurs, 109-106, on Saturday night. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 29 points, and Jeremy Sochan added 17 points and 12 rebounds as San Antonio fended off a valiant Houston rally. Ex-Rocket and aging veteran Chris Paul chipped in 9 assists in his first home game as a San Antonio Spur. The Rockets played well enough to beat the Spurs in the first of two straight games in San Antonio for Houston. They just dug themselves a second-quarter hole they failed to dig out from. Expect the Rockets to avoid a dismal 10-point period in the rematch on Monday.
Jalen Green continued his solid play to start the season. Green led the Rockets with 29 points, while also contributing 6 boards and 5 assists. Fred VanVleet scored 18 points and dished out 7 dimes, and Dillon Brooks had another strong outing, scoring 16 points on the evening. Alperen Sengun had one of the worst games of his entire career. The young center finished with only 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists in a mere 22 minutes as he was benched in the fourth quarter by Head Coach Ime Udoka. Last season Sengun displayed dominant performances against the Spurs. Expect to see that version of Al-P in the rematch on Monday night.
If there’s a silver lining to be had from tonight’s loss, it’s the fact Jalen Green seems to be on the verge of a breakout season. Green was 10-for-22 in his latest performance, and only committed two turnovers. He still needs to work on his three-point shot, but if he develops a shot from distance, Green could become one of the league’s best offensive threats. We’re only three games into a long season, but the young guard is already is playing with more patience this year, resulting in more efficiency and consistency. If Green evolves into an All-Star caliber player, and Sengun improves upon his All-Star worthy campaign last year, the Rockets will be a hard group to beat this season.
Houston will look to bounce back against these same Spurs in the same building on Monday night. The Rockets struggled on the road last season, and went 3-1 against San Antonio in the previous year. If Sengun can show up, Houston should be able to win the rematch and earn their first road win of the season on Monday night. After a spicy, chippy, and heated endeavor in Saturday’s loss to the Spurs, it’s possible that the I-10 Rivalry may be finally renewed.