At 9:00 a.m. Beijing time on December 12, the NBA regular season matchup is in full swing, and the Houston Rockets are at home to face the San Donio Spurs. Before this game, the Rockets had a 10-9 record, ranked 8th in the West, and before they knew it, the Rockets had changed from a bad team to a super dark horse, and they had defeated the top teams Thunder and Nuggets in the past two games, and currently won a wave of 9 consecutive home games. The reasons for the Rockets' progress this season are many. Compared with last season, they welcomed VanVleet and Dillon, two new signings, replaced the head coach, ushered in a more stern Udoka, and also sent away the team's "thorn" Porter Jr., so that other young players can get better room to grow.
Shen Jing has significantly improved his stats this season and has become the absolute core of the Rockets, averaging 20 per game8 points 91 rebound 5Seven assists, all three career highs, and six points higher than last season. On the other side, the Spurs, before this game, ranked first in the West with 3 wins and 18 losses, and have suffered a wave of 16 consecutive defeats, breaking the record for the longest losing streak in team history. I thought that the Spurs could be like the Rockets, as a young team, and could rise as a dark horse this season, but they are still a fish belly. The Spurs need to find the best way to develop Wembanyama, and of course they have to be patient, Wemban's overall performance this season is still good, with a certain dominance, and he can average 2With 7 blocks, he ranks second in the league and averages 19 points per game, ranking first among rookie players.
In this game, the two sides are in the starting lineup, the Spurs sent Sochan, Branham, Keldon Johnson, Wembanyama, Vassell, and the Rockets sent VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon, Jabari Smith and Shin Jing. At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, the Spurs jumped and won, taking the lead in launching the first attack, Sochan made a mid-range drift jumper and scored the first goal of the game, Branham made a difficult folding layup and scored a 2+1, VanVleet made a quick jump shot outside the three-point line, and also opened the door for the Rockets, Wembanyama was not to be outdone, chasing a three-point shot through the heart, VanVleet stepped on the accelerator to accelerate through the layup and picked down two points, Shen Jing hit the board with a high arc and easily won the layup, Branham quickly counterattacked, flew up and hit the board.
After a period of time, the offensive efficiency of both teams was not high, and the two sides launched a three-point iron battle, and the score gap was not large, and the first quarter of the game ended, and the Spurs led the Rockets by 2 points 21-19. At the beginning of the second quarter of the game, Osman easily scored under the basket to help the Spurs take the lead, Jeff Green slammed into the basket and scored a free throw, Ethan stepped up to make a layup and scored two points, Thompson accelerated the counterattack, and the aerial confrontation layup hit the board, Ethan took off and dunked the four seats, Smith jumped directly after a step, and it was into the center of the net, Jeff Green stepped back to shoot a standard three-shot gun, piercing the heart of the basket. Keldon scored an easy layup in three steps, and the offensive efficiency of both sides in the second quarter of the game improved, and the Rockets' outside shooting was more accurate, and at halftime, the Rockets led the Spurs by four points at 51-47.
At the beginning of the second half of the game, Yibian fought again, Dillon flew and threw in, opening the third quarter of the game, Vassell hit a two-point mid-range jumper, Wembanyama played high, and the inside line was strong and dunked, Shen Jing 45-degree angle ultra-long three-point shooting directly blossomed, Smith Jr.'s bottom corner three-point shot also scored, and Tate's empty three-point shot also penetrated the basket. The Spurs made crazy three-point shots, none of them, and the two teams went to the third quarter of the game, and turned on the iron mode, the Spurs only scored 15 points in a single quarter, and the Rockets only scored 18 points in a single quarter, of course, the Rockets still maintained a slight lead, and after the third quarter of the game, the Rockets led the Spurs by 7 points 69-62. In the final quarter, Ethan's continuous offensive baskets helped the Rockets maintain their lead and not be eroded.
At the critical moment, VanVleet and Eason's play helped the Rockets open the gap and lock the win, the Spurs were unable to recover and had to shoot, and the game was over, and the Rockets sent the Spurs to 17 consecutive losses 93-82. In this game, the Spurs shot a total of 5 of 41 three-pointers, shooting just 12. It is worth mentioning that the 17-game losing streak is the longest losing streak in the history of the Spurs, and the Spurs are firmly in the bottom of the West with 3 wins and 19 losses. The Rockets have won 10 consecutive home games, with a home record of 10 wins and 1 loss, and the home win rate is second only to the Celtics.
In terms of statistics, on the Spurs' side, Victor Wembanyama had 15 points, 18 rebounds and 3 assists;Devin Vassell 14 points and 6 rebounds;Malachai Branham 13 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists;Keldon Johnson had 12 points and 7 rebounds;Chedy Osman 10 points. On the Rockets' side, Tari Eason had 18 points and 14 rebounds;Alperen Shinjing 15 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists;Fred VanVleet 16 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists;Jabari Smith Jr. had 9 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists;Jeff Green 12 points. Hundreds of spectators