Game ID: 22500927
Houston Rockets @ San Antonio Spurs
Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 8:00 PM ET
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, TX
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
SAS 32 37 41 35 145HOU 33 24 37 26 120
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 3/01 · 2 days' rest
full strength
SAS availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's rest
full strength
SAS availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's rest
full strength
SAS availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Barnes missed 2 since 3/03, out tonight
SAS availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restOUT Barnes missed 3 since 3/03, out tonight
NEW Bryant 11 to 16 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Barnes missed 4 since 3/03, out tonight
NEW Bryant 11 to 16 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Barnes missed 5 since 3/03, returns tonight: 27 min (121% of 22)
NEW Bryant 11 to 18 min over the last 5
SAS availability going into 3/14 · 1 day's restBACK Barnes back 3/12 after 5, 27 min since (121% of 22)
SAS availability going into 3/16 · 1 day's restBACK Barnes back 3/12 after 5, 24 min since (110% of 22)
HOU availability going into 2/28 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 2/23 after 2, 19 min since (110% of 17)
BACK Holiday back 2/23 after 5, 13 min since (98% of 14)
HOU availability going into 3/02 · 1 day's restBACK Okogie back 2/23 after 2, 16 min since (94% of 17)
BACK Holiday back 2/23 after 5, 12 min since (86% of 14)
HOU availability going into 3/05 · 2 days' restOUT Smith Jr. missed 2 since 2/28, returns tonight: 42 min (119% of 36)
BACK Okogie back 2/23 after 2, 15 min since (85% of 17)
BACK Holiday back 2/23 after 5, 14 min since (102% of 14)
NEW Sheppard 27 to 33 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backBACK Smith Jr. back 3/05 after 2, 42 min since (119% of 36)
NEW Sheppard 27 to 36 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restBACK Smith Jr. back 3/05 after 2, 42 min since (119% of 36)
NEW Sheppard 27 to 36 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restBACK Smith Jr. back 3/05 after 2, 36 min since (103% of 36)
NEW Sheppard 27 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Finney-Smith 16 to 22 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 3/11 · back-to-backBACK Smith Jr. back 3/05 after 2, 36 min since (101% of 36)
NEW Sheppard 27 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Finney-Smith 16 to 24 min over the last 4
HOU availability going into 3/13 · 1 day's restBACK Smith Jr. back 3/05 after 2, 34 min since (96% of 36)
NEW Sheppard 27 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Finney-Smith 16 to 22 min over the last 3
NEW Capela 12 to 17 min over the last 5
HOU availability going into 3/16 · 2 days' restNEW Finney-Smith 16 to 23 min over the last 4
NEW Capela 12 to 19 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 4-1 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 107, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Fox at 16 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Barnes (3 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 111, shooting 49 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Sengun at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-7 a night and San Antonio plus-1 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 16 times a game to San Antonio's 13. Call it San Antonio 115, Houston 110.
3/01 @ NYK 89-114 — SAS notes
SAS lost 89-114. SAS shot 42% (32 of 77) to NYK's 44%, 9 of 34 from three. SAS turned it over 22 times to NYK's 13, and NYK turned those into 13 steals. The glass went 41-54 against them. Wembanyama led with 25 (8 of 17, 1 of 7 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Vassell added 18, Castle 13. Q1 was theirs, 21-22, but the other 3 periods went 92-68 against them. They led by as many as 12. Harper's -21 in 22 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/03 @ PHI 131-91 — SAS notes
SAS won 131-91. SAS shot 55% (49 of 89) to PHI's 35%, 18 of 45 from three. The glass went 56-40 for them. Vassell led with 22 (7 of 10, 6 of 8 from three); Harper added 22, Castle 15. The hinge was Q3, 35-11: a lead of 25 became 49. Vassell was the night's best plus/minus at +43.
3/05 vs DET 121-106 — SAS notes
SAS won 121-106. SAS shot 50% (42 of 84) to DET's 40%, 13 of 37 from three. Wembanyama led with 38 (12 of 24, 4 of 10 from three, 10 of 11 at the line); Fox added 29, Champagnie 16. The hinge was Q1, 38-23: from level to 15 ahead, and the lead reached 22. Wembanyama was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
3/06 vs LAC 116-112 — SAS notes
SAS won 116-112. SAS shot 48% (46 of 95) to LAC's 49%, 17 of 41 from three, and got to the line 14 times to LAC's 20. The glass went 52-41 for them. Wembanyama led with 27 (11 of 21, 4 of 9 from three); Champagnie added 20, Fox 19. The hinge was Q4, 35-20: SAS came in trailing by 11 and left it ahead by 4. SAS trailed 46-66 at the half and won the second half 70-46. Bryant was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
3/08 vs HOU 145-120 — SAS notes
SAS won 145-120. SAS shot 58% (51 of 88) to HOU's 48%, 21 of 40 from three. SAS turned it over 7 times to HOU's 12. Wembanyama led with 29 (9 of 13, 2 of 5 from three, 9 of 10 at the line); Castle added 23, Fox 20. The hinge was Q2, 37-24: SAS came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 12, and the lead reached 30. Champagnie was the night's best plus/minus at +29.
3/10 vs BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 109, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 26 and Fox at 17 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Barnes (4 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 99, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 17 free throws a game; Brown at 24 and White at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Walsh (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-11 a night and San Antonio plus-2 and the defense, Boston allowing 99 a night to San Antonio's 109. Call it San Antonio 113, Boston 109, Boston keeping it close.
3/12 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 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 109, shooting 53 percent and 42 from three, 23 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 29 and Fox at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Barnes (5 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 120, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 29 free throws a game; Jokić at 27 and Murray at 27 a game. Without Watson (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the defense, San Antonio allowing 109 a night to Denver's 120 and the line, where Denver takes 29 free throws a game to San Antonio's 23. Call it San Antonio 123, Denver 113, San Antonio by 10.
3/14 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 118, shooting 51 percent and 42 from three, 26 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 33 and Fox at 24 a game. One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 108, shooting 43 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Ball at 21 and Knueppel at 20 a game. Without Salaün (5 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the defense, Charlotte allowing 108 a night to San Antonio's 118 and the line, where San Antonio takes 26 free throws a game to Charlotte's 20. Call it San Antonio 118, Charlotte 113.
3/16 @ LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
The Clippers come in 4-1 over their last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 118, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 32 free throws a game; Leonard at 32 and Mathurin at 24 a game. Without Bogdanović (9 straight). One day's rest. San Antonio comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 117, shooting 50 percent and 42 from three, 24 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 32 and Fox at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: The Clippers win, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-6 a night and the Clippers minus-4 and the line, where the Clippers take 32 free throws a game to San Antonio's 24. Call it the Clippers 119, San Antonio 118, San Antonio keeping it close.
2/28 @ MIA 105-115 — HOU notes
HOU lost 105-115. HOU shot 43% (41 of 95) to MIA's 50%, 9 of 36 from three. Durant led with 32 (12 of 20, 2 of 8 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Thompson added 20, Sheppard 14. Q2 was theirs, 24-19, turning a 4-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 96-81 against them. They led by as many as 10. Thompson's -18 in 39 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/02 @ WAS 123-118 — HOU notes
HOU won 123-118. HOU shot 49% (45 of 92) to WAS's 48%, 9 of 25 from three, and went to the line 28 times to WAS's 14 — 24 points from the stripe to their 11. HOU turned it over 20 times to WAS's 12, and WAS turned those into 15 steals. The glass went 59-27 for them. Sengun led with 32 (12 of 20, 8 of 11 at the line); Durant added 30, Thompson 22. The hinge was Q2, 34-21: HOU came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 19. Eason was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
3/05 vs GSW 113-115 — HOU notes
HOU lost 113-115 in 1 overtime. HOU shot 46% (44 of 96) to GSW's 48%, 14 of 34 from three. Sheppard led with 30 (12 of 19, 6 of 12 from three); Durant added 23, Thompson 18. Q2 was theirs, 27-21, the deficit cut from 10 to 4, but the other 4 periods went 94-86 against them.
3/06 vs POR 106-99 — HOU notes
HOU won 106-99. HOU shot 54% (41 of 76) to POR's 40%, 5 of 19 from three, and got to the line 26 times to POR's 37. HOU turned it over 22 times to POR's 14, and POR turned those into 17 steals. Sengun led with 28 (11 of 15, 5 of 8 at the line); Thompson added 26, Durant 20. The hinge was Q4, 29-17: HOU came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 7.
3/08 @ SAS 120-145 — HOU notes
HOU lost 120-145. HOU shot 48% (42 of 87) to SAS's 58%, 8 of 28 from three. HOU turned it over 12 times to SAS's 7. Thompson led with 23 (8 of 15, 7 of 8 at the line); Durant added 23, Sheppard 17. Q1 was theirs, 33-32, but the other 3 periods went 113-87 against them. Sengun's -28 in 27 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/10 vs TOR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 24 free throws a game; Durant at 26 and Thompson at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Toronto comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 111, shooting 50 percent and 34 from three, 24 free throws a game; Barrett at 22 and Ingram at 20 a game. Without Murray-Boyles (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-8 a night and Toronto minus-2 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 16 times a game to Toronto's 11. Call it Houston 114, Toronto 112, Toronto keeping it close.
3/11 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 125, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 30 free throws a game; Jokić at 31 and Murray at 26 a game. Without Watson (13 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 115, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 25 and Thompson at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Houston has been plus-12 a night and Denver plus-3 and the defense, Houston allowing 115 a night to Denver's 125. Call it Denver 117, Houston 116, Houston keeping it close.
3/13 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 117, shooting 48 percent and 30 from three, 23 free throws a game; Durant at 21 and Thompson at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest. New Orleans comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 116, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 31 free throws a game; Murphy III at 23 and Williamson at 21 a game. Without Poole (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Houston wins, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 31 free throws a game to Houston's 23 and the arc, New Orleans at 36 percent from three to Houston's 30. Call it Houston 116, New Orleans 115, New Orleans keeping it close.
3/16 vs LAL — 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 108 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 28 from three, 23 free throws a game; Durant at 23 and Thompson at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. 2 days' rest. The Lakers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 115, shooting 51 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Dončić at 38 and Reaves at 27 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: The Lakers win, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, the Lakers at 38 percent from three to Houston's 28 and the turnovers, Houston giving it away 16 times a game to the Lakers' 11. Call it the Lakers 116, Houston 114, Houston keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
SASBB B. Biyombo
CB C. Bryant
DF D. Fox
DH D. Harper
DV D. Vassell
JC J. Champagnie
JM J. McLaughlin
KJ K. Johnson
KO K. Olynyk
LK L. Kornet
LW L. Waters III
SC S. Castle
VW V. Wembanyama
HOUAH A. Holiday
AS A. Sengun
AT A. Thompson
CC C. Capela
DF D. Finney-Smith
JG J. Green
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, Fox fuel dominant performance as Spurs beat Rockets for 4th straight victory, 145-120
SAN ANTONIO -- — Victor Wembanyama had 29 points, De'Aaron Fox had 20 points and 10 assists and the San Antonio Spurs won their fourth straight, rolling to a 145-120 victory over the Houston Rockets .
Stephon Castle added 23 points for San Antonio, which has won 15 of 16.
Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson had 23 points each for Houston, which allowed a season high in points.
The Spurs (47-17) won the season series against the Rockets 3-1 and strengthened their hold on the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
Houston (39-24) dropped into fourth in the West, a half-game behind Minnesota (40-24) and seven games behind San Antonio in the loss column.
The Rockets, who have alternated wins and losses over their past six games, allowed a season-most 56 points in the paint.
San Antonio had 38 assists while shooting a season-high 58% from the field, 53% (21 of 40) from 3-point range.
It all started with the Spurs' 7-foot-4 All-Star.
Wembanyama was 9 for 13 from the field, including a reverse dunk through contact that resulted in a three-point play and an 83-61 lead three minutes into the third quarter.
Wembanyama opened the scoring with a 26-foot 3-pointer followed by an shot fake on a 3 before driving to the rim for a left-hand finger roll, both with Alperen Sengun closely defending.
San Antonio opened a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter but Houston rallied when Wembanyama took a seat.
Houston’s only leads came at 27-26 with two minutes left in the first quarter and 33-32 at the close of the period.
Keldon Johnson added 20 points for San Antonio, which is 2 1/2 games behind Oklahoma City in the West.