Spurs' Tre Jones Talks 'Really Physical' Rockets

The Houston Rockets imposed their physicality as they beat the San Antonio Spurs.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 13, 2024

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San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs are nursing their wounds after a hard-fought 103-101 loss on Tuesday night at the hands of the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets are one of the league's most physical teams and they imposed their will on the Spurs as well as they could.

Jeremy Sochan San Antonio Spurs Jabari Smith Jr Houston Rockets — © Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

"They're really physical," point guard Tre Jones said of the Rockets. "They are always really physical. They get away with it. You can only call so many fouls in the game, and it's just how they play but it was just really physical with them."

The Rockets' game plan revolved around containing Victor Wembanyama and forcing him to give up the ball to his teammates.

"They throw a lot of bodies at him (Wembanyama)," Jones said. "I felt like he did a really good job at handling it."

Wembanyama scored just 13 points against the Rockets, well below his season average. He did grab 10 rebounds and dish out six assists, but his scoring output was hindered by the Rockets' physical defense.

Wembanyama and the Spurs need to be able to match the physicality teams will bring against them moving forward. If they aren't able to do that, the losing will continue and the rebuild will be stunted.

Spurs Fall Short in Final Minute to Lose to Rockets

The Spurs are back in action on Friday night when the defending champion Denver Nuggets come to Austin. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT.

Published Mar 13, 2024

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.