Long minutes before the interval, Victor Wembanyama warmed up to songs by Charles Aznavour and released a few little dance steps to hits by rapper Booba.
This relaxed atmosphere very quickly contrasted with an electric atmosphere on the pitch. In the middle of the first act, Jeremy Sochan and Jabari Smith Jr. bickered in the fight for rebounds. No wonder because on the morning of the first of the two confrontations, the Polish winger had been candid about the emerging rivalry between the Spurs and the Rockets. “Fuck Houston.”he said with a smirk.
Murderous shooting by Fred VanVleet
This little incident past, the Spurs have long been listless in attack and hampered by the defensive intensity of the Rockets. Jalen Green (36 points on 11/22 shooting) caused a lot of problems for the Spurs.
More concerned with the game, the protégés of the Frost Bank Center have long hoped to overtake Houston in the last corner. Victor Wembanyama, on a fadeaway, allowed his team to get back to one possession (101-99) before Fred VanVleet put the Rockets out of reach of the Spurs, 17.5 seconds from time.
The opportunities to win their two confrontations against their Texan neighbor, San Antonio had them but Gregg Popovich's men were unable to take advantage of them because of“stupid mistakes” and a “lack of communication”according to Jeremy Sochan.
Not always the right choices for Wemby in attack
Beyond his double double (14 points, 20 rebounds), Victor Wembanyama delivered an ambivalent performance. Very dissuasive in defense, he often forced Houston to review its offensive plans. “My goal is to cover my teammates as much as possible so that they can take more risks”he proclaims. “I try to make my teammates better, we are still experimenting because teams try new things. »
On the other hand, Wemby, clumsy (6/14 including 1/5 at 3-points), did not always make the right choices in attack, forcing some of his shots, often at long distance, rather than playing interior.
Because it is precisely in the paint that the Texans caught up with more than half of the points scored in the paint (54 against 30 for the Rockets). When the Rockets were able to find long-distance skill at the best times (15/37 in the end).
After this second defeat in three games – two days after their success against these same Rockets, the Spurs will try to return to victory against Chet Holmgren and the Thunder then the Jazz before returning to the Frost Bank Center for the reception of the Wolves of Rudy Gobert at the end of the week. The Rockets will meet the Mavs before going to the Warriors.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Jeremy Sochan confirms his good start to the season. Already author of 18 points for the Mavs then 17 points for the Rockets, the No. 9 of the 2022 Draft allowed the Spurs to keep their heads above water (22 points on 9/19 on shots, 9 rebounds and 4 passes in 34 minutes). He has also surpassed the 400 assists mark in the NBA.
– Dillon Brooks and Alperen Sengun pushed Victor Wembanyama. Not always at ease, the French interior had difficulty playing post-up. “Our game plan? Be physical with him but he will adapt to it, as all great players do,” said Ime Udoka before the match.
– Same story, different result. “ It's the same story as in the first match: we come back in the second half. In the first half, we gave them too many offensive rebounds (10, 13 in the end) we lost too many balls (13, 17 in total),” emphasizes Gregg Popovich.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
From our correspondent in San Antonio (United States).
