The San Antonio Spurs traveled to Houston for their second preseason game and their first on the road, and while far from perfect and still gritty, they did some things better than they did in the preseason opener. After a solid first quarter of 31-25, turnovers and poor three-point shooting plagued Spurs the rest of the way and prevented them from taking offensive runs on their way to a 112-98 loss (although the “hit score” usually came during a battle of the third strings in the fourth quarter).
Observations
- I have to make a confession. I moved from San Antonio to Houston this summer, so now I’m a full-time League Pass user when it comes to watching the Spurs. Except when they play the Rockets I have to watch the Rockets broadcast due to blackout restrictions. The idea that I may never hear Bill Land and Sean Elliott mention a Spurs-Rockets game again is somewhat sobering. The Rockets broadcast was – to put it kindly. I understand the Rockets announcers have mixed up some Spurs players because it’s the preseason, but the most awkward moment was when Bill Worrell mistook DeMar DeRozan for Luka Samanic, then blamed the afro. . .
- Speaking of Luka, for anyone still waiting to see something from him, you have to wait a little longer. He did not make the trip to Houston because of a bout of food poisoning and is reportedly not coming for Thursday’s game.
- As promised, Gregg Popovich started this game on a smaller scale, replacing Jakob Poeltl with Rockets-killer Lonnie Walker IV in the starting line-up. Walker looked much looser than the preseason opener when he just came back from back cramps and promptly hit three of his first four threes. As a whole, the entire starting unit played faster and looser compared to the Thunder game, and the Spurs hit 6-13 of three in the first quarter (including one from DeRozan, putting him 2-2 from outside the arc in the preseason) .
- Devin Vassell continued to impress early on. He scored six points in the first quarter of the bench, including a pull-up three from a screen and a smooth finish on the edge in the transition. He also played offensive defense and dived for loose balls. He wasn’t as flashy as the last game, and clearly has room for improvement, but he was the only bright spot on the bench for short-handed Spurs in the first half. He replaced DeRozan in the starting line-up for the second half with a final score of 11 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals.
- In a bit of a “it’s the preseason, so why not?” To move, Pop chose to use Rockets coach Stephen Silas’ super-small lineup with five players from about 6’3 “to 6” 7 with a super-sized lineup of Dejounte Murray, Devin Vassell, Rudy Gay, Trey Lyles and Jakob Poeltl in the second quarter. Unsurprisingly, the Spurs didn’t do much offensive with that line-up, but the elevation difference between the two teams was comically noticeable.
- The addition of DeMarcus Cousins has given the Rockets something they haven’t had in recent seasons: a big score that’s also a solid defender. John Wall, who has looked pretty good for someone fired for two years due to serious injuries, also offers another star point guard partner for Harden. The Beard reportedly remains adamant that he wants to be traded, but he secretly has the most complete team he’s had in Houston to date.
- While looking better than in their preseason opener, rebounding and turnover were the Spurs’ main issue in this one. Although they made 11 stems themselves, the Rockets themselves had 12, most of which either came from picking up the Spurs bag at the top of the fretboard or simply reading it out in the passing lanes, resulting in a 19 lead. -10 in a quick break points. That coupled with the fact that the Spurs went cold out of three (4-18) after the first quarter, played a big part in their outperforming 87-67 for the rest of the game.
- It’s worth remembering that without Keldon Johnson and Derrick White, this isn’t the typical Spurs team we’ll see in the future. The sooner they return, the better, but in the meantime patience is required while everyone else is given more development time. The good thing is that the Spurs showed improvement in some areas from the last game to this one, and in the preseason that’s all anyone should really care about.
For the perspective of Rockets fans, visit The Dream Shake.
The Spurs will stay in Houston and close the preseason against the Rockets on Thursday. The tip is at 7:00 pm CT on CW35.