Why Houston Rockets Made Progress vs. San Antonio Spurs

The Houston Rockets may have lost against the San Antonio Spurs, but they have some positive development they can walk away with.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 29, 2023

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are slowly making strides in the early phase of the NBA's regular season.

After losing by 30 on opening night against the Orlando Magic, they fell in overtime on Friday against the San Antonio Spurs. While both games ended in losses, the Rockets were far better in being aggressive getting to the basket, specifically with starting guards Fred VanVleet and Jalen Green.

“They did good," coach Ime Udoka said postgame. "They both took turns being aggressive. We want them to set the table and look to score and both those guys got in the 20s. The shot distribution was pretty even. Those guys were taking turns being aggressive when one was off the court, so I’m pleased with that."

The Rockets scored just 32 points in the paint against the Magic, but that number ticked up to 76 against the Spurs. VanVleet was also happy with Green's aggressiveness in getting to the paint.

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

“I think we just didn't do a good enough job getting into paint the last game, so I liked Jalen’s speed earlier in the first half," VanVleet said. "And you know me, just trying to push the pace a little bit. But definitely from us, too. We got to be able to get both feet in the paint and make plays. I thought we did a decent job at that tonight.”

While the team improved at being aggressive in the paint, coach Udoka eyes even more improvement in the future.

"I told the team we just got to be better finishing," Udoka said. "Finishing the first half when we had an eight-point lead and gave up an 8-0 run and then ending the game, obviously. We had our chances. It was not only missed shots it was turnovers, offensive rebounds and poor fouls.”

The Rockets will get another chance to make progress against the Golden State Warriors tonight. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.

Published Oct 29, 2023

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.