The Rockets didn’t waste any time setting the tone against the Spurs. Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson opened with back-to-back threes, and Houston rode that early burst into a 113-110 win in a game that stayed tight all the way to the finish.
For most of the night, the Rockets held the upper hand. The fourth quarter made things uncomfortable, but they found enough late to hang on.
Sengun was the driving force in the closing stretch, and he made it clear he wasn’t backing down from Victor Wembanyama. He kept attacking inside, going after whoever was in front of him, and it paid off in a big way.
Sengun finished with 29 points on 10/20 shooting, plus seven assists and seven rebounds. He also knocked down 2 of 4 from deep, matching Thompson’s 1 of 2 from three. Amen Thompson added 20 points and 10 rebounds, and his biggest moment came on the final play, when he blocked the soul out of Wembanyama’s body to secure the win.
Kevin Durant’s line was quiet by his standards, and that worked just fine for Houston. He scored 20 points on 5/10 shooting, but the shot that mattered most was the huge triple late that helped decide the game.
Tari Eason also made a strong first real appearance of the season, putting up 12 points, six rebounds and four steals. He also had one moment he’ll probably want back on a two-on-one break, when a simpler finish would have been the better choice.
There was also the sense that Wembanyama was hard to corral around the basket. Houston saw plenty of lobs and rim pressure from him, even if the numbers didn’t fully match that feeling. He finished 9/21 from the field.
In the end, the box score told the same story as the game itself: the teams were nearly even across the board, and the difference came in the clutch. Sengun’s aggression, Durant’s late three, and Thompson’s final block were the plays that swung it. Houston moved to 2-0.
In Other News...
Rockets Already Face One Big Question About Going All In
The Rockets opened the season by beating the Mavericks with a starting five that looked every bit like a team ready to measure itself against the best in the West. Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun gave Houston a blend of creation, size and scoring that already has the roster looking more serious than it did a year ago, which is exactly why the conversation around this group has moved from promise to urgency.
Zach Lowe pushed that point on his podcast, arguing Houston should at least be willing to think bigger if the goal is a championship run. He said the Rockets have the kind of assets that can matter in a star chase, with players such as Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason, plus draft picks, available if the front office decides the current core needs another jolt. The question now is whether Houston is ready to stay patient with what it has or start shopping for the kind of upgrade that changes a ceiling overnight. [Read more 🡒]
Jabari Smith Jr. Just Gave Rockets Fans Another Reason To Believe
Jabari Smith Jr. gave the Rockets home crowd an early-season glimpse of what his next step could look like in Houstons 128-110 win over Dallas. He played with a level of confidence and offensive freedom that stood out from the opening night atmosphere, knocking down shots, finding his spots and looking far more comfortable as a go-to scorer than he often has in the past.
There was real reason for optimism in the way Smith carried himself, especially with Kevin Durant now in the mix as a veteran presence he can learn from every day. The Rockets do not need him to become a finished product overnight, but performances like this one reinforce why his development remains one of the most important storylines on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Alperen Sengun Has A Chance To Silence One Big Doubt
Alperen Sengun has already shown he can make life awkward for Victor Wembanyama, and the Rockets will be leaning on that history when the Spurs come around again. Senguns blend of size, touch and passing has played well in their head-to-head meetings, and Houston has good reason to believe he can keep turning that matchup into a problem on both ends, especially if he controls the paint and keeps the offense moving through him.
For Sengun, the bigger picture is just as important as the next possession. He has spent enough time under the microscope to know how quickly one marquee game can shape outside opinions, and this is another chance to reinforce that he belongs in the conversation as more than a promising young big. If he can keep Wembanyama from dictating the game while finding his own rhythm offensively, the Rockets may get a night that says a lot about where Sengun stands. [Read more 🡒]