The San Antonio Spurs are still looking for their first win of the season after a 114-110 loss to the Houston Rockets on Friday night in Austin’s Moody Center.
It had the feel of a home crowd for San Antonio, even with Rockets star Kevin Durant getting a warm reception in a building tied to his Texas roots. Devin Vassell wasn’t interested in that storyline before tipoff.
"I'm worried about our team," summed up Devin Vassell pregame. "I'm worried about us getting back on the right track, getting in the winning column.
We're excited for the challenge. You know they're a great team with a great coach.
Got a little history with them, so we're excited to get going."
San Antonio pushed hard late, but Houston did enough to hold on. Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 25 points after an uneven opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, when he went 1-for-13 from the floor. This time, he was far more efficient, finishing 9-for-21 to go with 13 rebounds and two blocks.
Stephon Castle also gave the Spurs some offense again after his career-best shooting night from deep in the opener. He knocked down three 3-pointers on nine attempts and finished with 15 points.
Houston got 29 points from Alperen Sengun, while Thompson and Durant each added 20. Fred VanVleet, back after missing last season with a torn ACL, also played a strong role as the Rockets kept their footing. The source also framed Houston as an underrated team in the Western Conference mix, with the Spurs and Thunder viewed as the teams to beat.
Sengun spent much of the night leaning into contact and making life difficult inside, using his strength against both Wembanyama and Luke Kornet. Even without the height or burst to match Wembanyama, he repeatedly used his weight to battle for position around the basket.
San Antonio’s final chance came on a game-winning layup by Wembanyama as the clock ran down, but Amen Thompson blocked it to seal the Rockets’ victory.
The Spurs will try again Saturday night when they face the Dallas Mavericks in another in-state matchup.
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Wembanyama Just Revealed What Is Driving His Next Leap
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For San Antonio, that matters because the next step for Wembanyama is not just about recognition, but about becoming more dangerous offensively and helping push the team closer to a championship. The talent is already obvious; the question now is how much further his scoring and overall attack can grow as he tries to turn a painful finish into fuel for the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyamas Early Spark Cant Hide One Spurs Concern
Victor Wembanyama gave the Spurs an immediate jolt in their follow-up game against the Rockets, scoring the first basket and offering a reminder of how quickly he can set the tone. After opening the season with a loss to Oklahoma City, San Antonio could use any early sign that its franchise centerpiece is ready to carry the load again, especially after the way he built last season into a Defensive Player of the Year campaign and one of the leagues most productive all-around stat lines.
Still, the early spark has not erased the larger worry around this teams start, and the second quarter in Houston has only added to the sense that there is more work to do. The Spurs now head toward a meeting with the Mavericks looking for something more complete than a fast opening from Wembanyama, because the real question for San Antonio is whether the rest of the roster can match his urgency soon enough to steady the season. [Read more 🡒]