The San Antonio Spurs were brought crashing back to earth by the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, with a 114-101 defeat snapping their two-game win streak. The Spurs now sit with a dismal 13-49 record, as reported by KENS 5.
In a night where the Spurs' star young talent, Victor Wembanyama, struggled with foul trouble and only put up 10 points and 11 rebounds, it was the Rockets' Alperen Sengun who stole the show. Sengun notched a career-high 45 points with 16 rebounds, according to Express News. In addition to the superior offense, Houston's aggressive defense left a significant mark on the game, acknowledged by Spurs coach Gregg Popovich who said, "They deserve a lot of credit. They were physical from the get-go until the end of the game."
On the Spurs' side, Devin Vassell led with 22 points and Malaki Branham continued his upward trajectory, contributing 20 points. Despite the aggressive play of the Rockets that kept them on their heels, the Spurs did have moments of competitive clarity. Jalen Green and Fred VanVleet played their parts with 23 and 21 points, respectively, underscoring the varied efforts that kept the game swinging with 13 lead changes and nine ties.
Houston dominated the paint outscoring San Antonio 70-44, which undoubtedly played a decisive role in the outcome of the game. Yet, there were glimpses of resilience from the Spurs as Wembamyana, still a rookie sensation, managed to tally up seven blocks even on a so-called off night. However, Sengun's physical play style made all the difference, as he remarked, "He is tall, but he isn’t that strong yet."
Popovich's sentiment was clear post-game, as he stated "They (Houston) deserve a lot of credit. They were physical from the get-go until the end of the game. They came after it. They put us in mud. A young group needs understand the road is a lot different than at home and it requires a little bit more mental toughness, and we didn't have this time. So we'll move on. Try to play better at Sac (Sacramento)."
