Wembanyama’s Spurs clipped: Houston’s gamble pays off in Texas showdown

The Spurs traveled to Houston for one of Texas’ signature showdowns – setting the Mavericks aside – hoping to extend a run that threatened to feel endless. It was the second night of a back-to-back, though with more rest than usual after a morning tip thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The game wasn’t decisive, but it was undeniably significant given the frenzy gripping the Western Conference, where the Victor Wembanyama-led Spurs had climbed into second place, briefly escaping the traffic jam behind them. The Nuggets were still breathing down their necks, though, and the urgency to win remained intense amid a grueling schedule that has many players counting the days until the All-Star break.

A recent win over the Jazz had stretched San Antonio’s streak to three straight, five victories in their past seven games. The Thunder still looked out of reach – despite showing some cracks over the past month – and the priority was to arrive at the playoffs in the best possible position, with less than three months remaining. In the West, survival had effectively boiled down to securing at least fourth place to guarantee home-court advantage in the first round. Beyond that, whatever came would come. The Spurs didn’t seem to mind: young and fearless, led by the French phenom and finally boasting a balanced roster after years in the wilderness, they were stacking wins and confidence with everything to gain and nothing to lose. That combination made them one of the NBA’s most dangerous opponents.

For the Rockets, the story could not have been more different. They say haste makes waste, but hindsight is always convenient, and Houston opted for boldness and bravado by trading for a 37-year-old Kevin Durant and then handing him a massive extension – two years, $90 million. The message was unmistakable: stop speculating and go straight for a title push, the one the franchise last claimed more than 30 years ago, in 1994 and 1995, with Hakeem Olajuwon at the helm. Now, after a genuinely encouraging start, Houston finds itself stuck in the Western Conference logjam, even if they welcomed the Spurs riding a two-game winning streak – including a crucial victory over the Timberwolves – and three wins in their past four. Everyone understood what was at stake. Every win mattered.

In the end, it was the Rockets who prevailed, 111–106, smothering Wembanyama with disciplined defense. The Spurs star finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds but endured a brutal shooting night – 5-for-21 from the field and 0-for-7 from three. Julian Champagnie carried the visitors with 27 points, hitting 8 of 16 from deep, and San Antonio led by as many as 16 before fading. A decisive 29–14 fourth-quarter run sealed the comeback for Ime Udoka’s team. Durant, Wembanyama’s shadow all night, scored 18 points on just 12 shots; Jabari Smith added 17; Amen Thompson posted 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists; and Alperen Sengun thoroughly won the individual matchup with the French giant, finishing with 20 points, 13 boards and nine assists. Add 21 off the bench from Reed Sheppard, and the picture was complete – a reminder that even unicorns have off nights.

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Houston Rockets

Stats

7 Kevin Durant
10 Jabari Smith Jr.
28 Alperen Sengün
20 Josh Okogie
1 Amen Thompson
30 Clint Capela
4 JD Davison
17 Tari Eason
2 Dorian Finney-Smith
32 Jeff Green
0 Aaron Holiday
15 Reed Sheppard
8 Jae'Sean Tate

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
7 Kevin Durant	39	18	4	0	4	7	4	1	1	2/2	5/8	2/4	0	2	0
10 Jabari Smith Jr.	35	17	4	1	3	1	0	0	1	1/3	5/8	2/5	0	2	0
28 Alperen Sengün	33	20	13	0	13	9	4	0	2	5/5	6/10	1/3	0	0	0
20 Josh Okogie	16	5	1	1	0	0	0	1	0	0/3	1/1	1/1	0	2	0
1 Amen Thompson	39	16	10	0	10	6	3	1	2	4/5	6/12	0/2	0	0	0
30 Clint Capela	12	6	2	1	1	0	0	0	1	2/2	2/3	0/0	0	1	0
4 JD Davison	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
17 Tari Eason	19	6	6	2	4	1	3	1	1	0/0	3/6	0/0	0	2	0
2 Dorian Finney-Smith	14	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/2	0	2	0
32 Jeff Green	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
0 Aaron Holiday	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
15 Reed Sheppard	29	21	2	0	2	4	0	1	1	1/2	4/7	4/10	0	0	0
8 Jae'Sean Tate	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0

San Antonio Spurs

Stats

40 Harrison Barnes
30 Julian Champagnie
1 Victor Wembanyama
5 Stephon Castle
4 De'Aaron Fox
18 Bismack Biyombo
11 Carter Bryant
2 Dylan Harper
3 Keldon Johnson
7 Luke Kornet
0 Jordan McLaughlin
8 Kelly Olynyk
10 Jeremy Sochan
43 Lindy Waters III

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
40 Harrison Barnes	24	6	2	0	2	1	1	1	1	0/0	0/1	2/5	0	0	0
30 Julian Champagnie	34	27	8	1	7	2	0	2	0	3/3	0/1	8/16	0	3	0
1 Victor Wembanyama	29	14	10	5	5	2	1	0	0	4/4	5/14	0/7	0	4	0
5 Stephon Castle	34	13	7	4	3	8	3	1	1	1/1	3/11	2/8	0	2	0
4 De'Aaron Fox	32	14	3	0	3	5	3	1	0	0/0	4/9	2/6	0	2	0
18 Bismack Biyombo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
11 Carter Bryant	10	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	2/2	0/2	0	1	0
2 Dylan Harper	22	8	3	0	3	5	1	0	1	0/0	4/6	0/3	0	0	0
3 Keldon Johnson	27	12	6	2	4	0	0	2	0	2/2	5/6	0/3	0	1	0
7 Luke Kornet	23	8	6	2	4	1	0	0	2	0/0	4/5	0/0	0	3	0
0 Jordan McLaughlin	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
8 Kelly Olynyk	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
10 Jeremy Sochan	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
43 Lindy Waters III	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0