The Houston Rockets have had a pretty interesting preseason, to say the least. There are a lot of positives to look forward to, but also a few things that still need to be sorted out before the season officially begins. Tonight, however, Houston dominated and provided a glimpse of what may be in store for the upcoming season. The 129-107 win over the Spurs was a “dress rehearsal” game for the Rockets, and I think it’s fair to say that all the guys came out to perform.

With everyone active and available for the Rockets, they were expected to beat a weak, largely startless Spurs team, and they did. Led by Jalen Green’s game-high 30 points and seven three-pointers, Houston looked more than solid offensively. In an all-around winning effort, the Rockets had six players score in double figures, with Sengun and Amen trailing Jalen. Sengun had his best preseason outing yet, posting a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds on 75% shooting in just 25 minutes. Amen Thompson also played excellently and even scored a three-pointer in his 18-point game.

For the rest of the team it was nothing out of the ordinary. Dillon Brooks continued his solid preseason, starting 4/4 from the field in the first half before dropping to just 1/6 in the second half, but played great defense. Fred VanVleet led the offense at point guard and made excellent reads and passes, but struggled defensively and shooting the ball, earning 15 points and five assists. The final starter, Jabari Smith Jr., looked really good on the court, almost a double-double for him, and as always, he showed great power, defense and smashing the glass rebound.

The rotation was also roughly close to what it could be on opening night: a ten-man rotation that resulted in Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, Steven Adams and Tari Eason being the first players off the bench. Cam Whitmore also played, but only came on the court in the second quarter and played the fewest minutes of the real rotation players at just 13.

Early in the first quarter, the Rockets defense struggled and looked shaky. She allowed 31 points, but luckily scored 31 points on offense herself. However, the second quarter was all about Houston, outscoring the Spurs 37-18, highlighted by a 19-0 run. One factor that continued throughout the game was Amen Thompson and Tari Eason providing the offensive run and the vastly improved defense. Even when he knocked down a three-pointer in the second quarter, it was clear that Amen’s impact was greatly appreciated and noticed, even if the box score didn’t show it.

The Rockets’ bench was also crucial to the win. In addition to the aforementioned Amen Thompson and Tari Eason leading the defense, other contributors included Steven Adams and Reed Sheppard’s offensive rebounding. Eight of Houston’s 10 players, including three off the bench, played at least 15 minutes in the first three quarters alone, demonstrating their strength.

While San Antonio rested most of its starters, a Rockets win is always a good sign, especially when the true rotation players were in action and the lead remained on their side. It wasn’t the nicest or biggest win, but it’s still a nice way to end the pre-season with a good result.

The game was fun and a 3-1 record to end the NBA preseason provides much-needed momentum heading into the official NBA season. The Rockets’ season opener will be next Wednesday, October 23rd at home against the Charlotte Hornets. We’ll then see what we can possibly expect from Houston for the rest of the year. The game begins at 7:00 p.m. CST and will air as usual on Space City Home Network, KBME Sports Talk 790 and 93.3 FM.