San Antonio vs. Houston, Final Score: Spurs beat Rockets 109-106 in exciting opening game

In their home opener against the Rockets (1-2), the Spurs (1-1) held off a rally from the visitors that lasted the entire fourth quarter and won breathtakingly 109-106. San Antonio used a 20-3 run, combining a tenacious defense not seen in this country since the 2010s and the usual ball sharing on offense (15 assists on the first 24 field goals and 23 of 39 overall ) to climb to 21. He needed all the cushion in the second half to secure the hard-fought triumph.

Jeremy Sochan (17 points, 12 rebounds and 2 steals) had his second productive outing of the young season, while Victor Wembanyama (29 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks) had his second productive outing of the young season. Keldon Johnson's (16 points and 8 rebounds) persistence and grit secured San Antonio's lead in the second half, and journeyman Chris Paul (9 assists) worked well with Wembanyama.

Houston's Jalen Green (29 points and 5 assists, who recently signed a contract extension, was the team's brightest star tonight. San Antonio's hot first half managed to keep Dillon (16 points) Brooks from being even more irritating, but he managed pretty well There was little damage in the second half, and the Rockets' other key contributors, Fred Van Vleet (18 points and 7 assists) and Alperen Sengun (6 points and 5 rebounds), were relatively subdued.

While San Antonio came out on top on offense at the end of an exciting first quarter, the Rockets countered with a flurry of three-pointers from the starting lineup to stay close. Sochan (10 points) and Wembanyama (6 points) in particular performed best for the hosts, while Houston prevented a defeat with a few three-pointers. An expert 12-minute display gave Spurs a seven-point lead after one game.

The Spurs committed several unforced turnovers in the second quarter to give up points to Houston. San Antonio then slowly but surely went on a 13-0 run, punctuated by free throws from Zach Collins – and kept the Rockets off the scoreboard for a whopping nine minutes. Sochan seemed to be wherever there was a ball or a carom. Two lobs from Paul to Wembanyama left Houston reeling, and the Spurs took a 62-41 lead into the break.

San Antonio struggled in the third period, allowing the Rockets to quickly cut that deficit in half. When the offense let them down, they continued to hold their own defensively and on the boards. Keldon Johnson used his brutal attacks at the rim to make some crucial throws and steady the Spurs. After San Antonio stopped the comeback, Wembanyama (7 points) again showed his offensive repertoire and made the score 87-69 after three games.

Observations:

• San Antonio forced a turnover on Houston's first possession! #Progress
• After rewatching Thursday's game, I think Reggie Miller still can't pronounce Victor's last name correctly.
• What would be the Spurs' equivalent of Freddie Freeman's walkoff grand slam? Manu Ginobili's dunk against Bosh in 2014? Roger Mason's game-winning three on Christmas Day 2008?
• What was encouraging was Zach Collins pushing back his smaller defender for a nice layup in the first half.
• As the game turned into a tough situation late in the first half, San Antonio eliminated its defensive players and fought for free balls – winning a number of them – especially during Houston's nine-minute scoring drought.
• Julian Champagnie has an underrated second shot – after missing a shot and hitting the ball back before his defender could gather himself at the start of the first half.
• Victor Ease: Early in the second period, he executed Kevin McHale's up-and-under motion and extended his arms for a dunk from about six feet away. Normal people do this on Nerf tires.
• Shades of Chris Paul – New Orleans version: Midway through an exciting first frame, he led Sochan off with a nifty pocket pass for an acrobatic lay-in.
• Course of the game #1: In a quick move from the point, Alperen Sengun attempted a soft layup against Wembanyama and was unceremoniously rejected, allowing Champagnie to make a nice three-pointer in transition.
• Given their long collaboration, it was truly fitting that Bill Land retired with Sean Elliott's jersey number!
• Course of the game #2: At the beginning of the second round, Wembanyama positioned himself in the right block again and met Stephon Castle, who Elliott could only describe as a “wild finish”.
• Houston's midseason rookie Reed Sheppard already has a well-developed beard.
• The teams went hard against each other in the first stanza, with Wembanyama scoring a three-pointer and stopping several attempts from Sengun. Van Vleet had two three-pointers to fuel the visitors' 4v5 start, while Wembanyama had two shots of his own from very, very long range. Paul's stepback three brought San Antonio within seven, and Sengun threw up his hands in disgust. Houston's six three-pointers kept them close. Blake Wesley was given a few minutes in the first quarter, finding Keldon Johnson for a corner three and in traffic to a cutting Sochan for a layup. He then cooled his jets on a drive to secure a well-deserved bucket. San Antonio left the first round 38-31.
• The Spurs lost two possessions on offense and gave half of their lead back. Malaki Branham fueled a 6-0 run with his deft handling and shooting. Both teams' execution went awry on several half-court possessions until Champagnie tried to dunk Sengun and secured free throws. Harrison Barnes' winger made it 53:38. Paul's two lobs (I'm beaming as I write this) on Wembanyama increased the Spurs' lead to 22. Green's three-pointer ended a losing streak of 9 minutes, 6 seconds for Houston, but went into halftime tied at 21.
• San Antonio's Achilles' heel – the third quarter – reared its head again as Houston used physicality and forced turnovers to go on a 7-0 run. Brooks and Wembanyama were tied up, resulting in a jump ball, although Brooks did his typical nonsense. Barnes started the scoring with a tough, traditional 3-point play. Sengun's three-pointer and free throw reduced the deficit to 11. A Castle-Sochan-Collins-Johnson line-up slowed the tide somewhat. Johnson attacked the rim twice and scored two tough layups. Castle converted a difficult drive that would have made Manu Ginobili proud. Wembanyama combined a stepback (à la Dirk) and an And-1 to make it 83-65. Despite their early run, Houston still left with 18 points in the third after Wembanyama's bold step back.
• Three-pointers from Van Vleet and Brooks started Houston's comeback in the fourth quarter. Van Vleet's three-pointer and Cam Whitmore's transition layup brought the Rockets to seven points. Champagnie almost lost the ball, but grabbed a loose ball to score a layup. Green's razor-sharp layup made it 95-90. Wembanyama's tip dunk was answered with a fadeaway from Brooks. Layups from Brooks and Green made it a two-point game. Wembanyama's freebies were answered by Green with an air-defying And-1.
• In the final 100 seconds, Houston had several chances to take the lead – turning it over and suffering back-to-back shot clock violations. Wembanyama's free throws brought his team's free throws to three. Paul punished Brooks' missed three-pointer by doing something he had done to Spurs fans so many times over the years by finding Sochan's weak spot for a crucial game-winning basket. Brooks hit the next three-pointer and Castle was rejected at the rim. Jabari Smith missed two jumps in a row. After Wembanyama lost the ball, Green's pass eluded Whitmore in transition.
• When the game was on the line, the free throw strip played an important role in the outcome. The rookie Castle hit both free throws impressively. After Green's easy lay-in, Johnson hit both free throws. Van Vleet's layup was answered with a free throw from Castle. Green's direct three-pointer fell to the left, and San Antonio breathed a sigh of relief.

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