Game ID: 22500679
San Antonio Spurs @ Houston Rockets
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 at 9:30 PM ET
Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
HOU 36 26 24 13 99SAS 26 28 30 27 111
HOU vs SAS ScoutingHOU vs 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.
HOU availability going into 1/20 · 1 day's restOUT Eason missed 5 since 1/11, returns tonight: 20 min (75% of 26)
OUT Holiday missed 2 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Sengun back 1/11 after 3, 34 min since (100% of 34)
BACK Finney-Smith back 1/16 after 2, 16 min since (98% of 16)
HOU availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 3 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Eason back 1/20 after 5, 20 min since (75% of 26)
BACK Finney-Smith back 1/16 after 2, 16 min since (96% of 16)
HOU availability going into 1/23 · back-to-backOUT Holiday missed 4 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Eason back 1/20 after 5, 24 min since (91% of 26)
BACK Finney-Smith back 1/16 after 2, 15 min since (95% of 16)
HOU availability going into 1/26 · 2 days' restOUT Holiday missed 5 since 1/16, out tonight
BACK Eason back 1/20 after 5, 24 min since (91% of 26)
BACK Finney-Smith back 1/16 after 2, 15 min since (95% of 16)
NEW Okogie 17 to 25 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/28 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 6 since 1/16, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 14)
BACK Eason back 1/20 after 5, 25 min since (94% of 26)
NEW Okogie 17 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/29 · back-to-backBACK Eason back 1/20 after 5, 25 min since (94% of 26)
BACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 1 min since (6% of 14)
NEW Okogie 17 to 23 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restBACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NEW Okogie 17 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/02 · 1 day's restBACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 4 min since (33% of 14)
NEW Okogie 17 to 26 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 2/04 · 1 day's restBACK Holiday back 1/28 after 6, 9 min since (64% of 14)
SAS availability going into 1/19 · 1 day's restOUT Vassell missed 10 since 12/31, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 1/13 after 2, 9 min since (87% of 11)
SAS availability going into 1/20 · back-to-backOUT Vassell missed 11 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Sochan missed 2 since 1/17, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 1/13 after 2, 11 min since (99% of 11)
SAS availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restOUT Vassell missed 12 since 12/31, out tonight
OUT Sochan missed 3 since 1/17, returns tonight: 4 min (28% of 13)
BACK Bryant back 1/13 after 2, 11 min since (99% of 11)
SAS availability going into 1/25 · 2 days' restOUT Vassell missed 13 since 12/31, returns tonight: 25 min (80% of 32)
BACK Sochan back 1/22 after 3, 4 min since (28% of 13)
SAS availability going into 1/28 · 2 days' restBACK Vassell back 1/25 after 13, 25 min since (80% of 32)
BACK Sochan back 1/22 after 3, 4 min since (28% of 13)
NEW Johnson 22 to 28 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 1/31 · 2 days' restOUT Sochan missed 2 since 1/25, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 1/25 after 13, 24 min since (76% of 32)
NEW Johnson 22 to 27 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 2/01 · back-to-backOUT Sochan missed 3 since 1/25, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 1/25 after 13, 26 min since (83% of 32)
SAS availability going into 2/04 · 2 days' restOUT Sochan missed 4 since 1/25, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 1/25 after 13, 26 min since (84% of 32)
SAS availability going into 2/05 · back-to-backOUT Sochan missed 5 since 1/25, out tonight
BACK Vassell back 1/25 after 13, 26 min since (83% of 32)
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 109, shooting 48 percent and 37 from three, 24 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Sengun at 21 a game. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 111, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 26 and Fox at 19 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-4 a night and San Antonio minus-3 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 15 times a game to San Antonio's 11. Call it Houston 115, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
1/20 vs SAS 111-106 — HOU notes
HOU won 111-106. HOU shot 52% (43 of 83) to SAS's 39%, 10 of 27 from three, and went to the line 22 times to SAS's 10 — 15 points from the stripe to their 10. HOU turned it over 14 times to SAS's 9. Sheppard led with 21 (8 of 17, 4 of 10 from three); Sengun added 20, Durant 18. The hinge was Q4, 29-14: HOU came in trailing by 10 and left it ahead by 5. HOU trailed 60-70 at the half and won the second half 51-36. Sheppard was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/22 @ PHI 122-128 — HOU notes
HOU lost 122-128 in 1 overtime. HOU took 10 more shots (99 to 89), fed by 15 offensive rebounds, but shot 46% to PHI's 55%, 18 of 40 from three. Durant led with 36 (13 of 21, 5 of 8 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Thompson added 17, Sheppard 14. Q3 was theirs, 27-22, the deficit cut from 7 to 2, but the other 4 periods went 106-95 against them. Sengun's -18 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/23 @ DET 111-104 — HOU notes
HOU won 111-104. HOU shot 49% (39 of 79) to DET's 48%, 9 of 26 from three, and went to the line 30 times to DET's 24 — 24 points from the stripe to their 17. Durant led with 32 (11 of 19, 5 of 11 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Sengun added 19, Sheppard 18. The hinge was Q3, 34-20: from level to 14 ahead. Durant was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/26 vs MEM 108-99 — HOU notes
HOU won 108-99. HOU shot 45% (41 of 92) to MEM's 37%, 11 of 37 from three. Durant led with 33 (11 of 24, 4 of 9 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Sengun added 33, Eason 17. The hinge was Q4, 32-22: HOU came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 9. HOU trailed 51-54 at the half and won the second half 57-45. Sengun was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/28 vs SAS 99-111 — HOU notes
HOU lost 99-111. HOU took 17 more shots (99 to 82), fed by 17 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to SAS's 54%, 8 of 23 from three, and got to the line 18 times to SAS's 24. Thompson led with 25 (11 of 23); Durant added 24, Sengun 18. Q1 was theirs, 36-26, but the other 3 periods went 85-63 against them. They led by as many as 16. Sheppard's -16 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/29 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Johnson at 23 and Alexander-Walker at 20 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Risacher (10 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Sengun at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Atlanta at 41 percent from three to Houston's 37. Call it Atlanta 115, Houston 113, Houston keeping it close.
1/31 vs DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 106, shooting 44 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 31 and Sengun at 18 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 114, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 28 free throws a game; Flagg at 26 and Marshall at 22 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Russell (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 106 a night to Dallas's 114 and the line, where Dallas takes 28 free throws a game to Houston's 22. Call it Houston 115, Dallas 110.
2/02 @ IND — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Indiana comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 120, shooting 46 percent and 37 from three, 23 free throws a game; Siakam at 25 and Nembhard at 17 a game. Without Thompson (2 straight), Que. Jackson (2 straight), Toppin (46 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 101, shooting 43 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Sengun at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Houston allowing 101 a night to Indiana's 120 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-6 a night and Indiana plus-0. Call it Houston 114, Indiana 111, Indiana keeping it close.
2/04 vs BOS — 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 108 a night and allowing 103, shooting 43 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Sengun at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 107 a night and allowing 97, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 14 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Pritchard at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 22 free throws a game to Boston's 14 and the glass, where Houston has been plus-9 a night and Boston plus-3. Call it Houston 109, Boston 108, Boston keeping it close.
1/19 vs UTA 123-110 — SAS notes
SAS won 123-110. SAS shot 56% (44 of 79) to UTA's 40%, 16 of 38 from three. Wembanyama led with 33 (10 of 18, 7 of 12 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Castle added 18, Harper 15. The hinge was Q3, 35-23: a lead of 4 became 16, and the lead reached 24. Fox was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
1/20 @ HOU 106-111 — SAS notes
SAS lost 106-111. SAS took 22 more shots (105 to 83), fed by 14 offensive rebounds, but shot 39% to HOU's 52%, 14 of 50 from three, and got to the line 10 times to HOU's 22. SAS turned it over 9 times to HOU's 14. Champagnie led with 27 (8 of 17, 8 of 16 from three); Fox added 14, Wembanyama 14. Q1 was theirs, 39-28, but the other 3 periods went 83-67 against them. They led by as many as 16. Wembanyama's -14 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/22 @ UTA 126-109 — SAS notes
SAS won 126-109. SAS shot 51% (44 of 87) to UTA's 48%, 18 of 43 from three, and went to the line 24 times to UTA's 13 — 20 points from the stripe to their 11. SAS turned it over 10 times to UTA's 16. Fox led with 31 (10 of 13, 6 of 9 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Wembanyama added 26, Johnson 21. The hinge was Q2, 34-22: from level to 12 ahead, and the lead reached 17. Champagnie was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
1/25 vs NOP 95-104 — SAS notes
SAS lost 95-104. SAS shot 40% (32 of 81) to NOP's 40%, 12 of 44 from three, and went to the line 32 times to NOP's 17 — 19 points from the stripe to their 13. The glass went 46-58 against them. Wembanyama led with 16 (6 of 16, 2 of 10 from three, 2 of 6 at the line); Johnson added 15, Champagnie 13. Q4 was theirs, 27-22, the deficit cut from 14 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 82-68 against them. Castle's -19 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/28 @ HOU 111-99 — SAS notes
SAS won 111-99. SAS shot 54% (44 of 82) to HOU's 39%, 6 of 26 from three, and went to the line 24 times to HOU's 18 — 17 points from the stripe to their 13. Wembanyama led with 28 (8 of 15, 0 of 3 from three, 12 of 15 at the line); Fox added 18, Johnson 17. The hinge was Q4, 27-13: SAS came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 15. SAS trailed 54-62 at the half and won the second half 57-37. Johnson was the night's best plus/minus at +18.
1/31 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 105, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 22 free throws a game; Miller at 24 and Ball at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Hall (11 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 107, shooting 47 percent and 33 from three, 23 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 23 and Fox at 18 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Charlotte wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-11 a night and San Antonio minus-3 and the arc, Charlotte at 43 percent from three to San Antonio's 33. Call it Charlotte 115, San Antonio 111, San Antonio keeping it close.
2/01 vs ORL — 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 109 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 20 and Fox at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 120, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 28 and Bane at 23 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Fra. Wagner (20 straight), Bitadze (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 107 a night to Orlando's 120 and the arc, Orlando at 37 percent from three to San Antonio's 32. Call it San Antonio 116, Orlando 111.
2/04 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Fox at 17 a game. 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 27 and Holmgren at 15 a game. Without Jal. Williams (8 straight), Mitchell (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: San Antonio wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it San Antonio 112, OKC 111, OKC keeping it close.
2/05 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 116, shooting 44 percent and 32 from three, 26 free throws a game; Flagg at 34 and Williams at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 21 and Johnson at 15 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 105 a night to Dallas's 116. Call it Dallas 113, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
SASCB C. Bryant
DF D. Fox
DH D. Harper
DV D. Vassell
HB H. Barnes
JC J. Champagnie
JM J. McLaughlin
KJ K. Johnson
LK L. Kornet
SC S. Castle
VW V. Wembanyama
HOUAS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Capela
DF D. Finney-Smith
HO Holiday
JO J. Okogie
JS J. Smith Jr.
KD K. Durant
RS R. Sheppard
TE T. Eason
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
Wembanyama scores 28 points to lead Spurs past Rockets, 111-99
HOUSTON -- — Victor Wembanyama had 28 points, 16 rebounds and five blocks to help the San Antonio Spurs rally for a 111-99 victory over the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night.
The Spurs trailed by 16 and didn’t have a lead until late in the third quarter. Wembanyama scored nine points, with five free throws, to power an 11-0 run to open the fourth quarter that put the Spurs on top 95-86 with less than eight minutes to go.
A pair of free throws by Alperen Sengun got the Rockets within five before San Antonio used a 10-4 run, with six points from Dylan Harper , to make it 107-96 with about 2 1/2 minutes to play.
Wembanyama’s big game comes after he was 5 of 21 for 14 points in a loss to Houston last week.
The victory gives the Spurs a 2-1 lead in the season series with the final game set for March 8 in San Antonio.
Amen Thompson had 25 points and Kevin Durant added 24 for the Rockets. Sengun had 18 points with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
The Spurs shot 53.7% to help them surge late on a night the Rockets shot just 39.4%. Thompson made just 11 of 23 shots and Sengun was 7 of 20.
The Rockets were up by 11 with about eight minutes left in the third quarter before the Spurs used a 16-4 run to make it 79-78 with about two minutes remaining in the quarter to take their first lead of the game. Keldon Johnson made nine points in that stretch and Harper added four points.
The game was tied after a layup by Stephon Castle late in the third before a dunk by Thompson left the Rockets up 86-84 entering the fourth.