SAN ANTONIO — In their previous four games, the Houston Rockets consistently failed to get a good start, trailing by double digits in the first quarter each time. It was something head coach Stephen Silas was very aware of. He knew the issue needed to be fixed.
He watched as his young team exerted a lot of energy to claw back into games, eventually leading to wins or close losses.
So, when the Rockets jumped to an early lead against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday, it looked as though they had figured it out.
They appeared to have used two days off after Monday’s double-overtime victory over the Philadelphia 76ers and examined how to start games more efficiently. It worked well enough for 24 minutes that Houston held a halftime lead against the Spurs.
But as homeowners will tell you, when something in the house needs repairing, it often starts a chain reaction for other things to break down. If you are having trouble with the plumbing, it is safe to say that you will need some electrical work done soon. Fix that, and another problem will arise that likely requires your attention.
That was the case for Silas on Thursday. His team figured out how to get off to a better start to the game, but they broke down defensively to start the second half. Ultimately, they gave up 39 points in the third quarter to a rebuilding Spurs team that had lost 11 consecutive games.
San Antonio shot 58% from the field in the third quarter and made eight of the 14 3-pointers it attempted in the third quarter. That helped the Spurs overcome a seven-point deficit and take a 14-point lead en route to beating the Rockets, 118-109.
“Sometimes the adjustment is just to play harder,” Silas said. He elaborated further in his postgame comments from San Antonio:
I didn’t like our swagger tonight. I didn’t like our defensive intensity. I didn’t like our attention to detail. I didn’t like how they were the aggressors, and we weren’t. We continue to learn lessons as we go through this season. Hopefully, we learned a lesson in readiness.
I thought we were a step slow, all over the place, especially on the defensive end. Our readiness for this game just wasn’t what it should have been, and when you’re just a step late or not filling gaps or not running back in transition, doing other things that are important to play good defense, then you’re going to lose.
“Sometimes the adjustment is just to play harder,” said Rockets head coach Stephen Silas when asked about the 39-point third quarter his team gave up on Thursday to the San Antonio Spurs. #LightTheFuse #Sarge @TheRocketsWire pic.twitter.com/TwyV1qHBej
— #SARGE (@BigSargeSportz) December 10, 2022
That desired effort was lacking from the Rockets on Thursday. One reason might have been due to the team looking past the Spurs and focusing on the Milwaukee Bucks, who come to Toyota Center on Sunday to kick off a season-long seven-game homestand.
On some level, that might make sense. After all, the Bucks are a title contender led by two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the Spurs (7-18) are a rebuilding club. But as Silas’ team learned Thursday, Houston has not put enough wins on its resumé to look past any team in the NBA, as they learned against San Antonio.
“That is part of the growth process and learning how to be a professional,” Silas concluded.
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