Inside The Rockets

Houston Rockets Must Stop San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama to Grab First Win

"We want to get back to what we did in those five games and we were good on him," Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka said. "Last game. We have some guys that sat out there we'll get a chance to guard him as well."

Jeremy Brener

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The Houston Rockets struggled to defend in the paint in their 116-86 loss on Wednesday night against the Orlando Magic, and their job doesn't get easier when they face the San Antonio Spurs and their frontcourt with Victor Wembanyama and Zach Collins on Friday.

However, coach Ime Udoka isn't worried that Wednesday's issues will spill into the game.

"We want to get back to what we did in those five games, and we were good on him," Udoka said. "Last game. We have some guys that sat out there we'll get a chance to guard him as well."

Jabari and Victor
San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama dunks the ball as he is defended by Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr / Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

The key to victory will be defending the paint. In last week's second preseason game against the Spurs, the Rockets struggled to defend Collins, but had a decent amount of success with Wembanyama —who struggled with his shot in his lone appearance during the two-game series.

Wemby picked it back up in Wednesday's season opener when he made 6 of 9 shots against the Dallas Mavericks, and the Rockets would benefit to keep his high-percentage shots at a minimum.

Perhaps, the Spurs will look to feed Wembanyama more against an easier defensive matchup, but the Rockets have to be ready for everything against a front court that could make the night long.

Alperen Sengun's and Jabari Smith Jr.'s defense will have to be on point if the Rockets want to come away with their first win of the season.

The Rockets will close their two-game road trip against the Spurs Friday night inside the Frost Bank Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. CDT.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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