With no Victor Wembanyama against Houston, some of the excitement was sucked out of the fan base for the matchup with their in-state rivals. With talks of the San Antonio Spurs “ducking” the Rockets circulating the internet, clearly the rivalry was in full-swing, preseason or not.
San Antonio was convincing through three quarters of play, but couldn’t hold onto a 13-point lead heading into the fourth, falling to the Rockets 99-89. It was a game categorized by it’s physical play and sloppy care for the basketball by both teams. There were a combined 34 total turnovers (18 for the Spurs, and 16 for the Rockets) and a load of missed shots, as both teams shot under 40% from the field and 33% from three.