SAN ANTONIO - If you're looking for a turning point that brought the Spurs out of the malaise of January into the utter dominance they've shown since, it's probably the adjustment they made the last time they played the Rockets.
At the time San Antonio had really been struggling against physical opponents, to the point that Devin Vassell said publicly that this team doesn't want to be seen as soft. Houston had beaten them a week earlier, and they dominated the first half of the rematch with a bit of bully ball as Alperen Sengun pushed Victor Wembanyama around a bit.
Mitch Johnson made a bold strategy call, sending his pitbull of a point guard Stephon Castle to attack the big man on defense. Wembanyama, meanwhile, switched onto Amen Thompson and disrespected his shaky jumpshot as he roved around the basket and ignored Thompson unless he tried to dunk the ball.
This strategy turned the paint into a no-fly zone for pretty much everyone in a Rockets jersey as Houston scored just 14 points in the fourth as they blew a 16-point lead. The Spurs are 15-2 since then, and nobody smart is calling them soft anymore after a pair of statement wins over the rough-and-tumble Pistons.
The Rockets pride themselves on pounding the paint and cleaning the glass, but they're going to need an answer to Mitch Johnson's riddle that stumped them so thoroughly in January. They're 8-6 in the last month or so, as some other teams have exploited the weak points that San Antonio exposed.
In their last game they beat Portland 106-99, and the high-flying Amen Thompson scored 26 points on 11-12 shooting, adding 7 assists and 7 rebounds. Every single one of his attempts came within 10 feet of the basket, and that approach probably won't work as well for him against Wembanyama. He's shooting 262-367 (71%) at the cup this season, 102-239 (43%) in the paint outside the restricted area, and 44-182 (24%) outside the paint.
Thompson is a hell of a wing defender and finisher, but his inability to space the floor presents a quagmire for the Rockets even if they aren't facing the best rim protector in the world, and maybe ever. Ime Udoka will need to find an adjustment of his own.
One answer might be to use Thompson more as a screener and handoff hub to punish the off coverage and create open opportunities for outside shooters like Kevin Durant and Reed Sheppard. The problem there is that the Rockets don't have too many great shooters, and Wemby will sink to protect the paint against the roll while the wing defenders in front of him fight over screens and show aggression on the perimeter because they know Wemby is behind them.
San Antonio's personnel allows them to play versatile and disruptive defense, while Houston's roster makes their offensive approach a bit predictable.
The Spurs will be without Harrison Barnes for a fourth-straight game due to an ankle impingement, and Mason Plumlee won't make his San Antonio debut yet as he continues to ramp up after signing a contract for the rest of the season.
Julian Champagnie played through some bumps and bruises against the Clippers, and his 17 points in the third quarter helped propel the Spurs to their second-biggest comeback in the play-by-play era. He doesn't appear on the injury report, and his iron man streak will reach 166 games in a row.
When
7:00 p.m. Central
Where
Frost Bank Center, San Antonio, Texas
How to Watch
NBC and Peacock
Injury Report
SAS:
Harrison Barnes (left ankle impingement) - OUT
Mason Plumlee (return to competition reconditioning) - OUT
David Jones Garcia (G-League, two-way) - OUT
Harrison Ingram (G-League, Two-Way) - OUT
Emanuel Miller (G-League, Two-Way) - OUT
HOU:
Jae-Sean Tate (right knee sprain) - OUT
Steven Adams (left ankle surgery) - OUT
Fred VanVleet (right knee, ACL repair)- OUT
Tristen Newton (G-League, Two-Way)- OUT