Victor Wembanyama Notches 1st Career Win, San Antonio Spurs in OT vs. Houston Rockets
The San Antonio Spurs won an overtime nail-biter against the Houston Rockets for their first win of the season, 126-122. Victor Wembanyama earned hero status in the fourth quarter with three highlight plays, including a reverse alley-oop from Tre Jones, as he notched his first career win.
Wembanyama was the hero of the night, nailing a dagger over Rockets center Alperen Şengün with 20 seconds left to tie the game. He posted nine points and three blocks in the fourth quarter alone, including two in a matter of seconds.
While Wembanyama had his name all over the game, role players Cedi Osman and Doug McDermott stepped up big against Houston. Their shooting kept the Spurs in the game late, as McDermott sparked a mini-rally between the third and fourth quarters by making two 3-pointers in a row and Osman scored 14 on 4-6 from deep.
Oct 27, 2023; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) celebrates his first NBA victory after the Spurs defeated the Houston Rockets at Frost Bank Center.
© Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports
As expected, Devin Vassell led the Spurs' scoring effort. While Wembanyama develops, Vassell is quietly taking over as the Spurs’ best player.
Tre Jones made his case to take over starting point guard duties, with 14 points and eight assists. However, Zach Collins also dished out his fair share, tying Jones with eight. In addition to the facilitating, Collins posted nine points and six rebounds.
The Rockets were led by Fred VanVleet and Şengün. The Rockets’ duo combined for 49 points and the Spurs were unable to decide where to base their defensive plan of attack, which largely kept the game close.
On top of VanVleet and Şengün’s efforts, the Spurs were out-rebounded 53-60. If the Spurs managed to crash the boards, the victory might not have been as close.
The Spurs are now 1-1 on the season and will be looking to snag a winning record on Sunday on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers — now known as one of Wembayama's "favorite cities" in the United States.
Tipoff from Crypto.com Arena is set for 8 p.m. CST.
