The San Antonio Spurs solidify Texas dominance, crushing the Houston Rockets with overwhelming offense and stifling defense. Victor Wembanyama led the charge, and they successfully contained Kevin Durant.
The San Antonio Spurs have not lost at the Frost Bank Center since January 25th, and extended their stretch of dominance on Sunday night, beating the Houston Rockets 145-120.
The two Texas teams entered the season with vastly different expectations. The Spurs, it seemed, would have been happy just making the playoffs, and the Rockets, after adding Kevin Durant, were all-in on winning a title.
Houston is third in the Western Conference, but with seven and a half games separating them and the second-place Spurs, it's no wonder San Antonio has broken out as a legitimate title threat.
How Spurs Dominated Rockets, Kevin Durant
The Spurs were led by 29 points by Victor Wembanyama, and De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle, and Keldon Johnson all scored at least 20 of their own. For good measure, Dylan Harper posted 19 with six assists and only one turnover off the bench.
Houston, meanwhile, was led by 23 points aprice from Amen Thompson and Kevin Durant, but made less than half the amount of 3s the Spurs rained in. San Antonio shot a blistering 52.5% from deep
While Durant did have a great game and was clearly the Rockets' best player, nothing came easy for him. Mitch Johnson's Spurs threw Wembanyama, Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Carter Johnson, and Keldon Johnson at home, often multiple at a time. Of course, Durant is going to get his night in and night out, but he was clearly getting frustrated as he was the only player on his team who could reliably make a shot.
While Durant may have been Houston's best player, it's safe to say that Wembanyama was the best player on the court, on both ends of the floor.
The Spurs started both halves hot, with Victor Wembanyama scoring the first eight San Antonio points to kick off the contest, and then the Spurs made their first eight shots in a row to start the second half, taking a dominant win into the fourth quarter.
The Rockets tried to crawl back, but it was too little, too late despite a better effort on defense.
The Spurs will remain at home on Tuesday, taking on the Boston Celtics. Jayson Tatum has returned to the lnieup and Boston is a formidable opponent, but the Spurs are red-hot and have been for the last six weeks, so expect San Antonio to enter that game as heavy favorites.