The Houston Rockets won Thursday at San Antonio with an extremely shorthanded roster. In Saturday’s rematch, they couldn’t repeat the feat with a roster that somehow became even more undermanned.
Of Thursday’s nine players, Sterling Brown and DeMarcus Cousins were each held out Saturday due to leg injuries, and recent trade acquisition Victor Oladipo wasn’t activated in time. John Wall (sore left knee), Eric Gordon (left lower leg tightness), and Danuel House Jr. (self-isolating) all remained out, as well, though head coach Stephen Silas indicated that some of those veterans could return by Monday’s game in Chicago.
Fellow newcomer Rodions Kurucs was cleared just before tipoff, giving Houston the required eighth active player to play. But the Rockets (4-7) ran out of steam as the game moved along, scoring just 38 points in the second half after putting up 30 in the first quarter alone.
Christian Wood led the way with 24 points, 18 rebounds, and 3 blocks, while rookie Mason Jones — starting for Brown — scored 24 points on 6-of-8 shooting (75.0%) from 3-point range. Backcourt mate Ben McLemore added 21 points on 4-of-7 shooting (57.1%) on 3-pointers.
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Here’s what Jones said postgame, regarding his strong showing:
It was really special. A lot of people thought I wasn’t really capable of playing in this league. A lot of people thought my athleticism wasn’t going to translate. But I just know how to play the game. I know how to get my shot off, and also get people involved, and that just helps me get my shots open, like today.
But it really doesn’t mean a lot when we don’t get the dub. So, it was a good chance to really seize the opportunity, but at the end of the day, I just want the W.
But as hot as Houston’s starting guards were, its forwards were equally cold. Jae’Sean Tate and PJ Tucker combined to score just 11 points on 3-of-20 shooting (15.0%), including 0-of-7 on 3-pointers.
The Spurs (7-6) were led in Saturday’s 103-91 win (box score) by 24 points from veteran forward DeMar DeRozan. See below for a compilation of the postgame reaction from the Houston locker room.
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