The San Antonio Spurs left Toyota Heart Tuesday night time with a well-recognized and irritating feeling, undone as soon as once more by a late-game collapse in a 111–106 loss to the Houston Rockets that spoiled an in any other case encouraging street efficiency.
For a lot of the night, the Spurs had been the sharper, extra composed staff. They opened the sport with considered one of their finest offensive quarters of the season, constructing a 39–28 lead behind fast ball motion, assured taking pictures, and an aggressive protection that stored Houston scrambling. San Antonio pushed the tempo, shared the ball freely, and capitalized on early mismatches to grab management.
That momentum carried into the second quarter, the place the Spurs continued to dictate tempo. Victor Wembanyama offered flashes of brilliance all through the night time, however Houston’s protection on him was on level. He completed with simply 14 factors on 5-of-21 taking pictures, his worst efficiency of the season. Regardless of that, San Antonio entered halftime with a double-digit benefit and appeared well-positioned to safe a street win.
However as has been the case too usually this season, sustaining that degree proved troublesome.
“Numerous issues went unsuitable within the fourth quarter,” Spurs Head Coach Mitch Johnson mentioned. “Houston did a heck of a job… however we had a tough complete half. We missed open pictures, we weren’t sturdy in creating leads, passing, and psychological stuff. It was quite a lot of issues throughout the board.”
The sport started to tilt late within the third quarter when the Spurs’ offense stalled. Open appears to be like that fell earlier within the night time stopped dropping, and possessions grew more and more stagnant. Houston took benefit, trimming the deficit with transition alternatives and second-chance factors that energized the house crowd.
What adopted within the fourth quarter was decisive.
The Rockets opened the ultimate interval with renewed confidence, whereas the Spurs struggled to search out rhythm. The Rockets outscored San Antonio 29–14 over the ultimate 12 minutes. The Spurs went chilly on the worst potential time, going 0-for-8 earlier than their first made basket of the body. The extended scoring drought allowed Houston to erase the rest of San Antonio’s lead, and the Rockets surged forward behind a sequence of perimeter pictures and aggressive drives to the rim. San Antonio managed simply 14 factors within the quarter, a stark distinction to the offensive effectivity that outlined the opening half.
”They (Houston) acquired some good one-on-one defenders, and now you’re enjoying in opposition to these guys a whole lot of occasions in opposition to the clock. After which when that occurs, you get rushed up once more at occasions. And we noticed that, not simply with Victor, however the entire staff,” Johnson mentioned of his staff’s offensive struggles within the second half.
Houston’s guards repeatedly penetrated the Spurs’ protection, forcing rotations that led to open appears to be like and well timed baskets. In the meantime, San Antonio’s possessions had been rushed, with contested jumpers and missed alternatives on the rim rearing their head as the principle drawback. The Spurs had probabilities to regain management, however key stops and baskets by no means materialized.
Late-game execution — each offensively and defensively — stays a piece in progress for a Spurs staff balancing growth with the will to win now. Missed rotations, premature fouls, and an offense that slowed down beneath strain proved expensive in opposition to a Houston staff that seized the second.
“It’s the identical as blowing a 15-point lead,” Wembanyama mentioned when requested about blowing a 16-point result in Houston. “The great factor is we’re all onto the issue, and we’re all placing our minds into it. However we’re aware that it’s a drawback.”
For a younger staff nonetheless studying easy methods to win in hostile environments, Tuesday night time served as one other laborious lesson. Till San Antonio finds consistency in crunch time, sturdy begins and inspiring stretches will proceed to be overshadowed by disappointing finishes.
