The Houston Rockets took their first loss of the preseason on Wednesday night, falling to the San Antonio Spurs 117-103 in a rematch from earlier in the week.
Fred VanVleet got the night off for rest, while Jalen Green is still nursing a minor toe injury, so rookies Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore got the start, and they were at the helm for Houston getting punched in the mouth in the first quarter, falling behind 32-13 in the first frame, a deficit from which they never fully recovered. The Spurs also jumped out to a big lead in the first game between these teams, and although Houston bounced back in that one, these slow starts are obviously an item of concern heading into the regular season.