Rockets Seek Revenge, Face Spurs in Rematch
Battle at the Alamo: Part 2. Searching for Sengun. Early Must-Win?
It’s time for a rematch. The Rockets square-off against the Spurs once again in the Alamo City, this time seeking a win on Monday night. Houston is coming off a close loss, 109-106, to these Spurs, that featured a valiant rally that fell short. It’s hard to beat the same team in a row twice in the NBA, and the Rockets will try to prove that point by exacting revenge in San Antonio. Houston scored only 41 points in the first half on Saturday, including an unfathomable 10 points in the second quarter. The Rockets need to jump out of the gate on Monday night, and attack the basket if any shooting slumps or droughts seem to be on the cusp of arrival. Houston finally found the rim in the fourth period, scoring 37 points in the quarter, but it was still too late, as their comeback attempt fell short.
Jalen Green is coming off a 29 point performance, and his aggressive play has led the Rockets in these early three games. After being benched by Head Coach Ime Udoka in the fourth quarter of last game, Alperen Sengun is aiming to bounce back from one of the worst game’s of his young career. Sengun finished with 6 points and 5 points in only 22 minutes of action. Coach Udoka said he didn’t think Al-P was exerting the necessary effort to earn playing time. Expect Sengun to have a monster performance in tonight’s matchup. The Rockets are relying on a big game from their center if they want to garner their first road win, and improve to 2-2 on the season. Houston will need to try and contain Victor Wembanyama, who scored 29 points in the previous game. The Rockets also need to do a better defensive job on Jeremy Sochan, who finished with 17 points and 12 boards in Houston’s loss to the Spurs on Saturday night. Former Rockets player Chris Paul finished with 9 assists in the previous matchup, a revenge game of sorts for CP3. If the Rockets prevent the Point God from dishing out double figure dimes, Houston should win their first road game.
Tonight’s tilt is the second road game of the season for the Rockets, who finished with a 14-27 record away from home last year. It’s still very early on into a very long season, but if Houston wants to keep their eyes on the playoffs this year, a slow start will only make that goal more difficult. After tonight’s matchup, the Rockets face the reigning Western Conference Champion Mavericks in Dallas on Thursday night. The squad needs to play with a sense of urgency from the opening tip this time around in the Alamo City. Otherwise Houston could be on the verge of a 1-4 start. Hopefully a strong fourth quarter from the previous game carries over and results in a rematch win for the Rockets… as they face the Spurs for the final time in San Antonio this season.
Frost Bank Center: San Antonio, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (1-2): Red
San Antonio Spurs (1-1): Black
Tip-Off: 7:00 PM CT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass