For the Houston Rockets, Tuesday night’s 111-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs felt like more than just a victory.
While it did help propel Houston to the fourth seed in the Western Conference and move them within two and a half games of the Spurs for the No. 2 seed, it also served as a reminder of who the Rockets need to be.
Last season, Houston rode a top-five defense to a surprising finish as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. But this year, the defense hasn’t been nearly as strong, as Houston has been led more by their offense.
It’s no coincidence, though, that the Rockets’ best comeback of the season (trailing by 16 in the second half) was fueled by their defense.
After San Antonio poured in 70 points in the first half to build a double-digit lead, the Rockets locked in at halftime. They held the Spurs to just 36 points after intermission.
“We started guarding,” head coach Ime Udoka explained after the game. “We got stops and followed the game plan and personnel much better than in the first half, when we gave up a lot of 3-pointers and had a lot of missed assignments… Saw that at the half, cleaned that up, and we were in good shape.”
The Spurs are eighth in the NBA in offensive rating, but were held to their fewest points in four games.
Rockets flex defensive muscle vs. the elite
The Rockets’ defensive effort was most evident in how it slowed down Victor Wembanyama. The Spurs’ star finished with 14 points on just 5-of-21 shooting, including a 1-for-11 second half.
“He’s still working on his jump shot,” Kevin Durant said after the game. “For the most part, we made him shoot over us. He’s more dangerous when he gets layups and dunks and plays around the rim. That’s more of his game than floating around the perimeter shooting threes and jump shots. When they go in, they look amazing. But when we got a hand up, there were some bad misses.”
It was a sharp contrast from the first matchup between these two teams earlier this season. That was a one-possession game with 3:17 to go, before the Spurs went on a 13-5 run to close things out. Wembanyama had 22 points on 50% shooting that night.
But Tuesday’s rematch flipped that script, leading to a Houston win and impressing ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike.
“What did they do to fuel their win? It was their defense,” Ogwumike said. “You know what I love? When all-time great players like Kevin Durant don’t run from the smoke. They go towards it… That’s locked in. That’s why teams are on the rise.”
Ogwuimike continued.
“There are going to be multiple switches to get different people on [Wembanyama], but what the Rockets did was hold him to 24 percent. That is so rare, because he was falling in love with the outside jumper. He was 1-for-11 in the second half but 1-for-7 in the fourth quarter. A masterclass of defense on the guy who has been virtually un-guardable.”
For a team still searching for its identity, Tuesday represented a meaningful step in the right direction. The Rockets are at their best when being led by their defense.
