The Houston Rockets remain unscathed in the opening week of the NBA season after a late defensive stop from Amen Thompson sealed a 114-110 victory over the reigning conference champions, the San Antonio Spurs, on Saturday.
Down by a bucket with less than three seconds left, Victor Wembanyama spun free from a box-out attempt in an effort to send the game into overtime but was met at the rim by Thompson, who preserved San Antonio’s winless start through two games.
Rockets veteran Kevin Durant, who finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, praised Thompson’s willingness to go vertical against the 7-foot-5 big man and come away with the game-saving block.
“Twin is just a freak athlete. It’s insane how he got up so quick to block that shot against a 7’5 guy being 6’7. Man, what a game-saving block,” Durant said postgame.
“Early-season tests are always good. We’re not gonna bank on this, but we can look at this and get some film from it and see how we can get better… Hopefully we can build from this,” he added.
Rockets Continue to Solidify Core
After incurring multiple injuries last year that hampered their season and contributed to a first-round playoff exit against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Texas-based squad continues to build momentum as its healthy lineup remains a perfect 2-0.
Fred VanVleet, who missed the entirety of last season because of a torn ACL, finished with 14 points and 5 assists, while Alperen Sengun led the offense with 29 points.
With Thompson logging 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 stocks of his own, the Rockets continue to gel as one of the league’s most dangerous teams, and beating the Spurs might just be the spark they needed.
Spurs Struggle in Opening Week
Following a five-game series loss to the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals, San Antonio’s slump has continued into this season as it searches for its first victory.
Wembanyama led the Spurs with a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Dylan Harper followed with 20 points and 3 rebounds.
With both the Spurs and Knicks sharing identical records, this marks only the third instance in NBA history in which both finalists from the previous season opened the following season at 0-2.
The Rockets will look to continue their winning streak against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday, while the Spurs will try to notch their first win against the Dallas Mavericks later that same day.
