Growing Pains: Spurs Blown Out By Rockets in Preseason Opener

The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets faced off to open their respective preseason schedules for the 2022-23 season.

The San Antonio Spurs opened their 2022 NBA preseason schedules with a 134-96 loss to a Southwest Division rival, the Houston Rockets. 

Things got out of hand for the Spurs in the first half. The Rockets took a double-figure lead late in the opening period after a pair of made 3s from Eric Gordon, then San Antonio never came within single-digits for the remainder of the game. 

It was a poor shooting performance for the Spurs as they finished 33-93 (35.5 percent) from the floor and 11-42 (26.2 percent) from beyond the arc. The difference in results compared to the Rockets was staggering. Houston finished shooting 53-97 (54.6 percent) overall and 16-35 (45.7 percent) from deep. 

"Got to see some good things from some individuals, some poor things from other individuals," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "A little bit of everything. In general, shooting was poor, and going back in transition defense all the time, all kinds of bad things will happen. You just can't do it over and over and over again with the missed shots. That was the worst part of the game. 

"The second worst thing was physicality. We let them go where they wanted to go, and they were much more physical in that sense. That's got to be the biggest improvement we make overall."

With Keldon Johnson and Josh Primo sidelined, there was a greater opportunity for Devin Vassell to shoulder responsibility in the offense. He totaled 13 points in 19 minutes of action but shot a poor 4-13 (30.8 percent) overall and 1-7 (14.3 percent) from 3-point range. 

"That's what I'm going to do tomorrow. I'm going to show them that film," Popovich said joked. "We can show them all of that, but Houston was much more physical and aggressive. They got into the paint, and we didn't keep them out of the paint. A lot of things we can do better and a lot to work on."

Jeremy Sochan played his first organized contest that resembled an NBA game since being drafted by the Spurs. He played 17 minutes off the bench and totaled five points, four rebounds, one steal, and three blocks. 

Jabari Smith Jr., who was selected No. 3 overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, showed off impressive potential with a game-high 21 points and eight rebounds. He shot 8-15 from the floor and 5-8 from 3-point range. If the Spurs can end their 2022-23 campaign with being in a position to select a talent like Smith, it will be considered a successful result. 

The Spurs return to action on Thursday, Oct. 6, when they take on the Orlando Magic at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. 

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