There is no doubt that the San Antonio Spurs are ahead of schedule in their move back into the upper echelon of the NBA, pushing their way toward the top of the Western Conference standings as the season turns toward its fourth quarter.
But what about the Houston Rockets, who were supposed to be contenders this season but have underachieved?
The disparity will be on display when the Spurs and Rockets square off Sunday in San Antonio in a clash between Lone Star State rivals.
San Antonio is in second place in the West, behind only defending league champion Oklahoma City. The team is 6 1/2 games clear of third-place Houston with 19 contests left to play.
The Spurs return to the court after a rousing 116-112 comeback home win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday. Playing the second game of a home back-to-back, San Antonio roared back from 25 points down in the third quarter and outlasted the Clippers in a contest that had seven lead changes over the final 7:11.
Victor Wembanyama racked up 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots in the victory, while Julian Champagnie added 20 points, 17 of them in the pivotal third quarter as the Spurs produced their largest comeback of the season, their third win in a row and their 14th victory in their past 15 games.
“(On the) second night of a back-to-back, guys are banged up,” Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said after the win. “The competitive response and the character the guys showed to really try to band together and fight through the mental, physical and emotional fatigue was commendable.”
“(My) favorite part is we faced some very different trials over these last two games, and we’ve been able to answer the call in every single one of them,” Wembanyama said.
De’Aaron Fox finished with 19 points for San Antonio (17 of them after halftime), with Devin Vassell scoring 11 and Keldon Johnson and Luke Kornet adding 10 each.
Coach Johnson lauded the efforts of Fox, whose leadership down the stretch helped the Spurs hold on. Fox played all 12 minutes of the final period, scoring 10 points and dishing out six assists without a turnover.
“(Fox) took over the game in terms of how he was managing and dictating,” Johnson said. “He was a monster at that.”
The Rockets have alternated wins and losses over their past five games and travel to the Alamo City after a 106-99 victory at home over Portland on Friday. Alperen Sengun scored a game-high 28 points on 11-of-15 shooting in the win, while Amen Thompson scored 26 points, made 11 of his 12 shots and fueled a critical fourth-quarter rally.
“Teams know I’m trying to get to the rim, so they back up,” Thompson said. “So, I’ve had to work at it. I feel like I’ve been good at getting to it. I’m not trying to force the issue and get to the rim. I’m just taking what the defense gives me.”
Kevin Durant added 20 points and eight rebounds, and Reed Sheppard had 17 points for Houston, which won the second game of a back-to-back that started with an overtime loss at home to Golden State on Thursday.
“We wanted to get that taste out of our mouth from (Thursday) night and at least play with the right effort, play with the right purpose and lock in on tendencies,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said.
The Spurs have won two of the first three games with Houston this season, most recently a 111-99 victory Jan. 28.
–Field Level Media
