The rivalry between the youthful players for the Spurs and the Rockets is for real, and the fire will be stoked when the teams square off on Monday as San Antonio hosts Houston for the second time in three nights.
Separated by just 193 miles, there has always been a rivalry between the teams, but the majority of the history has been lost on the current players, especially since neither team has been in the playoffs since the 2019-20 season. Houston just missed the postseason last year but the Spurs weren’t close and are on a five-year stint without a berth in the playoffs.
There has been an indication that the rivalry has been renewed as both teams fight for respectability. San Antonio guard Jeremy Sochan added fuel to the fire when he told a reporter “(expletive) Houston!” in a press availability prior to Saturday’s game.
The boost in intensity was illustrated in the Spurs’ 109-106 win over Houston on Saturday when San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama and the Rockets’ Dillon Brooks battled for a loose ball in the third quarter and scuffled as the teams gathered around for a grab and hold session when neither would let go.
“We know (the Rockets) are gonna come back, they’re gonna be hungry, they’re gonna be ready to play,” San Antonio’s Keldon Johnson said. “We got to come in and try to repeat and get another win.”
Wembanyama scored 29 points and rookie Stephon Castle hit a key free throw with 7.2 seconds to play to allow the Spurs to hold on Saturday. San Antonio broke open a close game by outscoring the Rockets 20-3 over the final 9 1/2 minutes of the second quarter and carried a 21-point advantage into halftime.
The Spurs still led by 18 heading to the fourth but had to weather a torrid Houston comeback that cut the advantage to just two points after Brooks’ layup with 1:24 to play to set up the furious finish.
Sochan added 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Spurs, who evened their season record through two games. Johnson scored 16 points off the bench, Julian Champagnie hit for 12 and Harrison Barnes tallied 11 for San Antonio.
Jalen Green scored 11 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter to spark the Rockets’ comeback and drew the back of the rim on a final 3-point attempt to tie the game in the final seconds. Fred VanVleet added 18, Brooks poured in 16, Jock Landale had 13 and Cam Whitmore scored 10 points for Houston, which was playing a night after beating Memphis at home.
“This is two games in a row we haven’t guarded at all to start the game,” Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. “Once we decided to get physical and be aggressive and start to play like we’re capable of, it became a game. We had our chances at the end as well.”
The Spurs and Rockets will also play Nov. 6 in Houston. The Rockets will host the teams’ final regular-season meeting Feb. 26.
