After the kind of effort the San Antonio Spurs put in to beat the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, it seemed inevitable that the Rockets would come out strong when the two faced off again 48 hours later. Three minutes into the game, the Spurs were down 14-3. A few missed three balls from open Julian Champagnie, missed layups and a precise Rockets team was responsible for the deficit. The Spurs defense did its best until an 8-0 run in the final minute gave the Rockets a 29-15 lead.

The second quarter went a little better, but the Spurs were unable to make up the deficit at all until halftime. They would make a few plays, the lead would go down to 11, and then the Rockets would answer right back to keep the Spurs at bay. It really seemed like a Freaky Friday version of the previous game, right down to the halftime score. On Saturday night, the Spurs went into the locker room down 62-41. Tonight they were down 62-45.

It took a while to get through the half, but Spurs started to take the lead. Midway through the quarter, the Spurs had limited the Rockets to eight points, four of which were free throws. Needless to say, while there were some rough patches, it seems like Spurs’ defense has improved through three games compared to last season. The six-minute mark was when the Spurs’ wheels started to come off a bit. On one possession, the Spurs collected four offensive rebounds and were unable to score after Jeremy Sochan’s layup bounced off the rim. A basket by Steven Adams at the other end increased the Rocket’s lead to 20 with 3:56 left in the third. However, the Spurs held on, and when Malaki Branham hit two three-point attempts to end the quarter, the Spurs were within striking distance.

Blake opened the scoring in the final frame with a driving dunk along the baseline. The next time, Malaki managed another threesome. In the next few minutes Victor Wembanyama would enter the party and Malaki would score again. Four minutes into the fourth round, the Spurs were only two points behind (88-86). Unfortunately, that’s as close as it gets. The two teams battled back and forth for the rest of the game, but Spurs just couldn’t get over the hurdle. Things got interesting when a flagrant foul was called on a Chris Paul three-pointer that ended with a six-point possession for the Spurs. That made it 101:99 with 35 seconds to go, and hope was eternal. On the Rockets’ next possession, a defensive miscommunication led to a wide-open three-pointer by Fred VanVleet that essentially wiped out the game. It was a gutsy performance for a team still trying to come together, not to mention still missing their second-best player.

Game play

In the end there were more candidates, but as mentioned above, the Wemby to Sochan pick-and-roll at the foul line has to be a thing of the future.

Game notes

• The return of Big Kiwi. While this may be a Spurs side, it was really nice to see Steven Adams back on the pitch. Tonight was his first NBA game since January 22, 2023 due to a knee injury. His presence was felt even when he wasn’t a major contributor to the box score. He finished the game a team-high +11.
• Sochan remains aggressive. Sam Vecenie from the Game Theory Podcast recorded a game recording episode where he lists some things he noticed. One of them was how Sochan had played in the first two Spurs games. Game 3 was no different as he scored a team-high 22 points, added nine rebounds and caused a few upsets for the Rockets.
• Jalen Green heats up. Green is the type of player who can get started quickly. That’s exactly what he did in the second quarter when he made five of his seven three-pointers. Those three-pointers helped extend the Rockets’ halftime lead to 17, and he would finish the game with 36 points.
• Malaki provides a spark. When it seemed like the game was just too far out of reach for a possible Spurs comeback, Malaki Branham came into the game. He entered the game with 1:12 left in the third quarter when the Spurs trailed 16-85-69. He then dropped three points on consecutive possessions, ensuring the game was 12 points by the fourth. You could feel the energy those shots brought to the team and the crowd. Thanks to Malaki for staying ready.

Next game: Wednesday in Oklahoma City

The Spurs leave Texas for the first time to face the Thunder. What we all know is Wemby vs. Chet Holmgren