ROCKETS DEFEAT SPURS!

3 key factors that fueled Houston Rockets' bounce-back win over Spurs

Rockets Jalen Green
Jalen Green leads the Rockets to victory! Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images.
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Jalen Green scored 34 points and the Houston Rockets never trailed in a 106-101 victory over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night.

Jabari Smith added 17 points and Alperen Sengun had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Houston.

The Rockets rebounded from a 109-106 loss to the Spurs on Saturday to close out a two-game set in San Antonio.

Jeremy Sochan had 22 points and nine rebounds, and Wembanyama had 12 points and 18 rebounds for the Spurs.

Takeaways

Rockets: Houston gave up six consecutive points to allow San Antonio to get within 101-99 with 36 seconds remaining. Veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, who was 3 for 13 from the field at the time, calmly drained a 3-pointer with 18 seconds remaining. VanVleet finished with 11 points.

Spurs: Chris Paul had 16 points after scoring a combined six in San Antonio’s first two games. It was his highest-scoring game since he had 19 points against the Spurs on March 11 while with Golden State. Paul had just three assists after averaging 8.5 in his first two games.

Key moment

San Antonio missed five consecutive shots on one possession in the third quarter, including four at near point-blank range. Sochan opened the possession by missing a floater. Keldon Johnson then missed a 3-pointer, Sochan missed a hook shot, Zach Collins missed a 3-pointer and Sochan ended the futility by missing a layup. After failing to secure the previous four rebounds, Houston gained possession and quickly drove down the court to score on a hook shot by Steven Adams.

Key stat

After shooting 60% in the opening period on Saturday, San Antonio shot 32% in the first quarter Monday and fell behind 29-15.

Up next

The Rockets visit Dallas on Thursday and the Spurs play at Oklahoma City on Wednesday.

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Fans of Houston sports and Houston food can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm November 11 at 8th Wonder. Find out more about it here.

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The Texans can make a statement with a win against Detroit!Composite Getty Image.

Sunday night matchups don't get much exciting than this, as the Houston Texans host the Detroit Lions in prime-time at NRG.

The Lions come into this game on a six-game winning streak looking every bit of the best team in football. Houston on the other hand has lost two of their last three games with a struggling offense unable to protect their quarterback.

CJ Stroud has only one passing touchdown over this span, and is clearly having trouble adjusting to life without Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins.

If Houston is going to come away with an upset victory, they will need big performances from Tank Dell and Joe Mixon. After catching 4 passes against the Colts two weeks ago, Mixon not only failed to catch a single pass against the Jets, but he wasn't even targeted.

Considering the Texans' offensive line issues, choosing not to use Mixon as a pass catcher is hard to fathom. Especially since he and Dell are the team's top 2 playmakers.

What's working in the Texans' favor?

They play this game at home, where they are undefeated this season. A lot of the team's protection issues have popped up on the road, so communication should be easier for the offense on their home turf.

Bulls on Parade

We have good news and bad news about the defense this week. On the positive side, Azeez Al-Shaair and Jimmy Ward have returned to practice. If they're able to contribute on Sunday night, that would give the defense a lift.

And now for the bad news. Will Anderson has yet to practice this week after rolling his ankle in the Jets game. If he is unable to practice on Friday, it's hard to imagine he'll be active against Detroit.

X-factors

The Texans have to show some improvement on the offensive line this week.

Houston must lean on Joe Mixon again, as Nico Collins isn't expected to play.

Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the best receivers in the league, and he does most of his damage from the slot. If the Texans continue to deploy Jalen Pitre against premier receivers in man coverage, St. Brown is going to light up the scoreboard.

What would a win over the Lions mean to Houston?

The Texans are no longer considered a true championship contender because of their losses to the Packers, Vikings, and Jets. In fact, the Bills are the only team with a winning record that the Texans have beaten.

An upset win over the streaking Lions would change that narrative.

What does Vegas think?

The Lions are currently favored by 3.5 and the total is set at 49 points.

Don't miss the full preview of Texans-Lions in the video above!


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Fans of Houston sports and Houston food can now score tickets to The Tailgate, CultureMap's all-out party devoted to everyone’s favorite way to get in the gameday spirit. The event, presented by Verizon, goes down from 6-9 pm November 11 at 8th Wonder. Tickets are $75 for VIP and $50 for General Admission. For a limited time, we’re giving you $10 off; use code SPORTSMAP at checkout. Get your tickets now!

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