The Houston Rockets (39-24) suffered one of their most lopsided defeats of the season Sunday afternoon, falling 145-120 to the San Antonio Spurs (47-17) at Frost Bank Center. It was a late-season gut punch against a fellow Western Conference contender, dropping Houston to 3-7 against the league’s top tier (Spurs, Thunder, Nuggets) and handing the season series to San Antonio 3-1.
The Rockets actually rallied early—trailing by double digits in the first quarter but closing within one by the end of the period. But San Antonio erupted in the second quarter (60% FG, 44.4% 3PT), building a 12-point halftime lead that ballooned to 27 in the third behind Victor Wembanyama’s takeover. Houston trimmed it to 16 entering the fourth, but never seriously threatened again.
Wembanyama was unstoppable: 29 points (9-of-13 FG, 2-of-5 3PT, 10-of-10 FT), 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 4 blocks. He drew chants for MVP after a reverse dunk through contact in the third. Houston threw multiple defenders at him—none worked. The Spurs shot 58% from the field and 52% from three overall, penetrating at will for layups or kick-outs.
Amen Thompson led Houston with 23 points, but the rest of the team struggled to match San Antonio’s firepower. The Rockets committed 12 turnovers leading to 25 Spurs points (Reed Sheppard 4, Alperen Şengün 5), while San Antonio had just 8 giveaways (11 Houston points off them).
Assistant coach Royal Ivey had emphasized pregame the need for continuity, ball movement, hard cuts, and selfless extra passes. Friday’s win over Portland showed flashes of that, but Sunday was a step backward—too much standing around, iso-heavy sets, and poor execution against a Spurs team that exploited every gap.
The loss highlighted ongoing issues since Steven Adams’ season-ending ankle injury:
- Lack of consistent offensive structure.
- Over-reliance on Durant/Şengün isolation.
- Inefficient mid-range looks from Şengün and others.
- Amen Thompson forced into facilitator role that doesn’t suit him.
- Variance on defense—allowing low-percentage shooters (Dylan Harper, Stephon Castle) to go off (combined 6-of-8 from three) while Vassell (38.6% 3PT shooter) went 0-for-3.
With Reed Sheppard showing promise as an on-ball creator and long-range threat, Udoka must decide whether to lean into that identity—more ball movement, transition hits for Thompson, and Sheppard initiating—rather than iso-heavy sets. Sunday’s loss was a reminder: the Spurs exposed the gaps Adams once masked.
Houston has 21 games left and still holds the No. 4 seed, but dropping another to a top West team stings. They’ll look to bounce back quickly—next up is a tough stretch, and the margin for error is shrinking.
Rockets fans, what needs to change most? More Sheppard on-ball? Less mid-range from Şengün? Better transition looks for Thompson? Or is this just a bad shooting night? Comment below—Houston can’t afford many more like this if they want to stay in the top tier.