San Antonio Spurs, Devin Vassell Handle Houston At Home, Earn 2nd Preseason Win

The San Antonio Spurs rallied behind Zach Collins, Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell's 51 points to get their revenge on Houston in the second of a back-to-back series.

A series of back-to-back matchups against the same team either has the potential to formally establish one squad as superior, or add to the tension between them. 

And for the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, the latter was certainly true. 

After suffering a loss to Houston in round one on Monday, the Spurs entered the second matchup against their in-state rivals with a chip on their shoulder — and a full roster. 

Keldon Johnson saw game action for the second time of the preseason while Victor Wembanyama, Devin Vassell and Tre Jones all returned to the floor, and their impact showed. A complete dominance by the Spurs in the first half helped propel them to a victory as San Antonio came away with a 117-103 win.

Oct 18, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Devin Vassell (24) goes up for a dunk in front of Houston Rockets guard Aaron Holiday (0) in the first half at the Frost Bank Center / © Daniel Dunn-USA TODAY Sports

Wembanyama, Vassell and Zach Collins combined for 51 points on the game, with all three utilizing their athleticism and putting on a show — Vassell and Wembanyama especially. They didn't hesitate to make things happen, either, getting things going for the Spurs almost instantly. 

Vassell opened up scoring with three straight 3-pointers to give San Antonio an early lead, followed by Zach Collins' two straight post makes and free throw to extend that. After just four minutes, the Spurs amassed a 17-1 lead, which mostly remained through the end of the first, as they took a 32-13 lead into the second quarter.

Wembanyama got involved at the end of the first, but was largely absent in the second, leaving Johnson, Jones and Vassell with room to score and distribute. Behind the trio's continued scoring, San Antonio's lead didn't falter much, as the Spurs rode a 16-point lead into the second half — more than the Rockets' leading scorer Jae'Sean Tate's first half total. 

When the second half came around, however, so did Houston. 

Rockets first-and-second year duo Cam Whitmore and Jabari Smith Jr. found their groove to open the third quarter, taking their team from down 16 to within single digits. Houston threatened a comeback, but with every point the Rockets got closer, the Spurs matched to keep their visitors at arms length. 

The fourth quarter saw much of the same. A threatening Rockets team led by Whitmore, who finished with 17 points, came close to making it competitive on the road, but San Antonio pulled away behind Julian Champagnie's late nine-point spurt to secure a 14-point 117-103 victory.

With their second preseason win, the Spurs improved to .500 at 2-2 ahead of their final exhibition game on Friday. To close out their slate, San Antonio will travel to the Bay to face the Golden State Warriors, looking to win two straight. 

Tipoff from Chase Center is set for 9 p.m. CST.