Game ID: 22300942
Houston Rockets @ San Antonio Spurs
Tuesday, March 12, 2024 at 8:30 PM ET
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAS 30 17 25 29 101HOU 24 20 32 27 103
HOU @ SAS ScoutingHOU @ SAS Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
SAS availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 6 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Barlow back 3/03 after 7, 0 min since (3% of 13)
BACK Cissoko back 3/03 after 28, 0 min since (3% of 12)
SAS availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 7 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Barlow back 3/03 after 7, 0 min since (3% of 13)
BACK Cissoko back 3/03 after 28, 0 min since (3% of 12)
SAS availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 8 since 2/22, returns tonight: 11 min (83% of 14)
OUT Cissoko missed 2 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Barlow back 3/03 after 7, 7 min since (54% of 13)
NEW Vassell 33 to 39 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 3/11 · 1 day's restOUT Wembanyama missed 2 since 3/07, returns tonight: 31 min (106% of 30)
OUT Cissoko missed 3 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Graham back 3/09 after 8, 11 min since (83% of 14)
BACK Barlow back 3/03 after 7, 15 min since (115% of 13)
NEW Vassell 33 to 38 min over the last 4
SAS availability going into 3/12 · back-to-backOUT Osman missed 2 since 3/09, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 4 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Wembanyama back 3/11 after 2, 31 min since (106% of 30)
BACK Graham back 3/09 after 8, 11 min since (83% of 14)
BACK Barlow back 3/03 after 7, 13 min since (100% of 13)
SAS availability going into 3/15 · 2 days' restOUT Osman missed 3 since 3/09, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 5 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Wembanyama back 3/11 after 2, 31 min since (105% of 30)
BACK Graham back 3/09 after 8, 8 min since (57% of 14)
SAS availability going into 3/17 · 1 day's restOUT Osman missed 4 since 3/09, returns tonight: 14 min (82% of 18)
OUT Cissoko missed 6 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Wembanyama back 3/11 after 2, 32 min since (107% of 30)
BACK Graham back 3/09 after 8, 8 min since (57% of 14)
NEW Champagnie 20 to 28 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 3/19 · 1 day's restOUT Graham missed 2 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Gray missed 2 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Duke Jr. missed 2 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 7 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Wembanyama back 3/11 after 2, 33 min since (111% of 30)
BACK Osman back 3/17 after 4, 14 min since (82% of 18)
NEW Vassell 33 to 39 min over the last 4
NEW Champagnie 20 to 27 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 3/22 · 2 days' restOUT Graham missed 3 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Gray missed 3 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Duke Jr. missed 3 since 3/15, out tonight
OUT Cissoko missed 8 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Wembanyama back 3/11 after 2, 33 min since (110% of 30)
BACK Osman back 3/17 after 4, 13 min since (72% of 18)
NEW Vassell 33 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Jones 28 to 33 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/05 · 2 days' restOUT Tate missed 2 since 2/29, out tonight
NEW Smith Jr. 32 to 38 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Tate missed 3 since 2/29, returns tonight: 6 min (36% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restBACK Tate back 2/27 after 2, 4 min since (26% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Je. Green missed 2 since 3/06, returns tonight: 11 min (63% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 6 min since (36% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Tate missed 2 since 3/08, returns tonight: 13 min (82% of 16)
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 11 min since (63% of 17)
HOU availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restBACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 12 min since (74% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 9 min since (59% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 2 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 13 min since (75% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/06 after 3, 11 min since (70% of 16)
HOU availability going into 3/19 · 2 days' restOUT Whitmore missed 3 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 16 min since (95% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 13 min since (84% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 20 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/21 · 1 day's restOUT Whitmore missed 4 since 3/12, out tonight
BACK Je. Green back 3/10 after 2, 16 min since (97% of 17)
BACK Tate back 3/12 after 2, 14 min since (86% of 16)
NEW Landale 14 to 21 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 42 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 23 and Vassell at 22 a game. Without Osman (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 109, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Sengun at 24 and Ja. Green at 24 a game. Without Tate (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 14 times a game to Houston's 9 and the arc, San Antonio at 42 percent from three to Houston's 37. Call it Houston 115, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
3/05 @ HOU 101-114 — SAS notes
SAS lost 101-114. SAS shot 44% (38 of 87) to HOU's 47%, 12 of 36 from three. SAS turned it over 18 times to HOU's 5, and HOU turned those into 15 steals. Vassell led with 22 (9 of 19, 1 of 5 from three); Branham added 20, Johnson 18. Q2 was theirs, 32-21, turning a 5-point deficit into a 6-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 93-69 against them. Sochan's -17 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/07 @ SAC 129-131 — SAS notes
SAS lost 129-131. SAS shot 51% (46 of 91) to SAC's 51%, 16 of 33 from three. Vassell led with 30 (11 of 18, 4 of 6 from three); Branham added 23, Collins 22. Q3 was theirs, 36-29, the deficit cut from 12 to 5, but the other 3 periods went 102-93 against them. Branham's -16 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/09 @ GSW 126-113 — SAS notes
SAS won 126-113. SAS shot 51% (44 of 86) to GSW's 47%, 17 of 33 from three. The glass went 49-39 for them. Johnson led with 22 (9 of 18, 4 of 9 from three); Branham added 20, Sochan 20. The hinge was Q2, 30-16: a lead of 5 became 19. Graham was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
3/11 vs GSW 102-112 — SAS notes
SAS lost 102-112. SAS shot 42% (39 of 93) to GSW's 49%, 14 of 37 from three. Wembanyama led with 27 (10 of 25, 3 of 9 from three, 4 of 9 at the line); Vassell added 17, Johnson 16. Q1 was theirs, 37-29, but the other 3 periods went 83-65 against them. They led by as many as 11. Branham's -16 in 17 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/12 vs HOU 101-103 — SAS notes
SAS lost 101-103. SAS shot 48% (39 of 82) to HOU's 46%, 11 of 36 from three, and got to the line 14 times to HOU's 21. Jones led with 24 (9 of 15, 4 of 7 from three); Sochan added 21, Wembanyama 13. Q1 was theirs, 30-24, but the other 3 periods went 79-71 against them. They led by as many as 10. Branham's -15 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/15 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 19 free throws a game; Johnson at 20 and Vassell at 19 a game. Without Osman (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 52 percent and 38 from three, 17 free throws a game; Jokić at 26 and Murray at 25 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 14 times a game to Denver's 10. Call it Denver 115, San Antonio 113, San Antonio keeping it close.
3/17 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 19 and Vassell at 18 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Osman (4 straight). One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Thomas at 26 and Schröder at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-3 a night and Brooklyn minus-5. Call it San Antonio 115, Brooklyn 111, Brooklyn keeping it close.
3/19 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Johnson at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Dallas comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 32 from three, 23 free throws a game; Dončić at 31 and Irving at 24 a game. One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, San Antonio at 36 percent from three to Dallas's 32. Call it Dallas 116, San Antonio 114, San Antonio keeping it close.
3/22 vs MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Vassell at 17 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. 2 days' rest. Memphis comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 117, shooting 43 percent and 36 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jackson at 24 and Jackson Jr. at 24 a game. That is 4 straight losses. Without Goodwin (3 straight), Williams Jr. (6 straight), Kennard (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it San Antonio 114, Memphis 110, Memphis keeping it close.
3/05 vs SAS 114-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 114-101. HOU shot 47% (49 of 105) to SAS's 44%, 9 of 34 from three. HOU turned it over 5 times to SAS's 18. Sengun led with 45 (19 of 32, 2 of 3 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Ja. Green added 23, VanVleet 21. The hinge was Q4, 34-24: a lead of 3 became 13. HOU trailed 47-53 at the half and won the second half 67-48. VanVleet was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
3/06 vs LAC 116-122 — HOU notes
HOU lost 116-122. HOU took 14 more shots (94 to 80), fed by 13 offensive rebounds, but shot 48% to LAC's 55%, 16 of 37 from three, and got to the line 17 times to LAC's 26. Sengun led with 23 (10 of 19, 3 of 8 at the line); Smith Jr. added 19, Whitmore 17. Q1 was theirs, 27-19, but the other 3 periods went 103-89 against them. They led by as many as 20. Smith Jr.'s -20 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/08 @ POR 123-107 — HOU notes
HOU won 123-107. HOU shot 48% (45 of 94) to POR's 42%, 14 of 37 from three. HOU turned it over 7 times to POR's 17. Green led with 27 (11 of 19, 4 of 9 from three); Sengun added 19, VanVleet 18. The hinge was Q3, 37-24: HOU came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 5, and the lead reached 18. HOU trailed 55-63 at the half and won the second half 68-44. Thompson was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/10 @ SAC 112-104 — HOU notes
HOU won 112-104. HOU shot 46% (39 of 84) to SAC's 45%, 12 of 29 from three. VanVleet led with 22 (5 of 8, 2 of 4 from three, 10 of 10 at the line); Ja. Green added 19, Sengun 14. The hinge was Q3, 32-14: HOU came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 13, and the lead reached 17. HOU trailed 54-59 at the half and won the second half 58-45. Smith Jr. was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
3/12 @ SAS 103-101 — HOU notes
HOU won 103-101. HOU shot 46% (37 of 80) to SAS's 48%, 10 of 32 from three, and went to the line 21 times to SAS's 14 — 19 points from the stripe to their 12. VanVleet led with 21 (7 of 16, 3 of 9 from three); Ja. Green added 16, Smith Jr. 15. The hinge was Q3, 32-25: HOU came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 4. HOU trailed 44-47 at the half and won the second half 59-54. Landale was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/14 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sengun at 25 and Ja. Green at 20 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Washington comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 21 free throws a game; Kuzma at 26 and Poole at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Bagley III (4 straight), Holmes (2 straight), Champagnie (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been minus-2 a night and Washington minus-9 and the turnovers, Washington giving it away 13 times a game to Houston's 9. Call it Houston 117, Washington 109.
3/16 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 23 and VanVleet at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Whitmore (2 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 110, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Garland at 24 and Allen at 20 a game. Without Strus (6 straight), Eva. Mobley (5 straight), Wade (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Houston at 39 percent from three to Cleveland's 35. Call it Houston 114, Cleveland 110, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/19 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 19 free throws a game; Kuzma at 22 and Avdija at 19 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 15 a night. Without Avdija (2 straight), Jones (2 straight), Bagley III (7 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 25 and VanVleet at 20 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-2 a night and Washington minus-15 and the defense, Houston allowing 107 a night to Washington's 122. Call it Houston 118, Washington 111.
3/21 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 24 free throws a game; Ja. Green at 28 and VanVleet at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Whitmore (4 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; DeRozan at 24 and Vučević at 19 a game. Without White (3 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 108 a night to Chicago's 117. Call it Houston 118, Chicago 110.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
SASBW B. Wesley
DB D. Barlow
DG D. Graham
DV D. Vassell
JC J. Champagnie
JS J. Sochan
MB M. Branham
SM S. Mamukelashvili
TJ T. Jones
VW V. Wembanyama
ZC Z. Collins
HOUAH A. Holiday
AT A. Thompson
DB D. Brooks
FV F. VanVleet
JG J. Green
JL J. Landale
JS J. Smith Jr.
JT J. Tate
JG Ja. Green
RB R. Bullock Jr.
SAS/HOU the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
VanVleet scores 21 points and Rockets hold off Spurs 103-101 on an off night for Wembanyama
SAN ANTONIO -- — Fred VanVleet scored 21 points and the Houston Rockets held Victor Wembanyama in check to beat the San Antonio Spurs 103-101 on Tuesday night.
San Antonio cut the deficit to 99-98 with 19 seconds remaining on Jeremy Sochan’s three-point play off a missed 3-pointer by Wembanyama. But Houston was able to stay ahead from the foul line.
“I feel like we followed the game plan until the final minute,” Rockets guard Dillon Brooks said. “We wanted to foul and not let them get any shots up on the rim, make them earn it on the free throw line.”
Houston won its fourth straight on the road and is five games behind Golden State for 10th in the Western Conference.
Wembanyama finished with 13 points, 10 rebounds and six assists after a sluggish start.
“I wish we played him again,” Brooks said.
Wembanyama finished 5 for 12 from the field as Houston threw multiple double- and triple-teams at him while using undersized defenders such as Brooks and Jae’Sean Tate.
“The physicality, the energy,” Wembanyama said of the difficulties he faced offensively. “Every night it’s a challenge, but this is a very aggressive team defensively, so this is the most hard.”
Tre Jones had 22 points and Sochan added 21 as San Antonio lost for the fourth time in five games.
At 14-52, San Antonio must finish at least 7-9 to avoid matching the franchise’s worst record of 20-62 set in 1997.
Jalen Green had 16 points and Jabari Smith Jr. added 15 for the Rockets, who had seven players score at least eight points.
The Rockets were without Alperen Sengun , who had a career-high 45 points and five blocks along with a season-best 16 rebounds in a 114-101 victory over the Spurs on March 5. Sengun is out indefinitely after sustaining injuries to his right ankle and knee against the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.
Jones matched a career high with four 3-pointers, all in the first half. He finished 4 for 7 on 3-pointers and was held to six points in the second half.
“Tre is a consummate competitor,” Popovich said. “He’s going to do everything he can to win a game. Simple as that. That’s what he does. He’s at his best night after night after night. He’ll do anything that needs to be done.”
Jones’ output was needed with Keldon Johnson sitting out with a stomach illness and Wembanyama and Devin Vassell having off nights.
Wembanyama and Vassell, the team’s leading scorers, were a combined 2 for 7 and had two points apiece with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Vassell finished with five points and Wembanyama had 11 points in the final 14 minutes of the game.
“When you’ve got a guy like Wembanyama, we feel like we have three, four really solid defenders that we can throw on him,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “Guys that are undersized that can kind of move in on him and take him off his spot. (Tate) came in and did some of the same things that Dillon was doing.”
Vassell was fouled off an inbounds play with four seconds remaining before he could take a potential game-tying 3-pointer. Vassell made the first free throw and then purposely missed the second, which Amen Thompson rebounded to seal the victory.
“It’s something that we’ve worked on and done quite a few times this year,” Udoka said. “It’s worked well for us. You want to take away that only shot that can (tie) us and our denials were really good.”
The Spurs built a 10-point lead to open the game, but the Rockets went on an 8-0 run as soon as Wembanyama went to the bench for a rest.
The Spurs face Denver on Friday in a home game at Austin as part of their regional outreach.