The Rockets’ win over the Spurs reveals the key to rediscovering their identity

For Houston RocketsTuesday night’s 111-106 win over the San Antonio Spurs was more than just a win.

While that helped Houston clinch the fourth seed in the Western Conference and move them to within two and a half games of the Spurs for the second seed, it also served as a reminder of who the Rockets should be.

Last season, Houston led a top-five defense to a surprising finish as a 2nd seed in the Western Conference. But this year, the defense hasn’t been nearly as strong, as Houston has been driven more by their offense.

However, it’s no coincidence that the Rockets’ best comeback of the season (down by 16 in the second half) was fueled by their defense.

After San Antonio scored 70 points in the first half and built a double-digit lead, the Rockets went into halftime. They held the Spurs to just 36 points after the break.

“We started guarding,” the head coach Making Udoka explained after the game. “We were stopping and following the game plan and personnel a lot better than we did in the first half, when we made a lot of threes and had a lot of missed assignments. … We saw that at halftime, cleaned it up and were in good shape.”

The Spurs are eighth in the NBA in offensive rating, but have held the fewest points in four games.

The Rockets are flexing their defensive muscle against the elite

The Rockets’ defensive effort was most evident in how it slowed down Victor Vembanyama. The Spurs star finished with 14 points on just 5-of-21 shooting, including a 1-for-11 second half.

“He’s still working on his jump shot,” Kevin Durant he said after the game. “We mostly made him shoot over us. He’s more dangerous when he gets layups and dunks and plays around the rim. It’s more of his game than floating around the perimeter shooting threes and rebounds. When they go in, they look amazing. But when we put our hand up, there were some bad misses.”

It was a stark contrast to the first match between these two teams earlier this season. It was a one-possession game with 3:17 left before the Spurs went on a 13-5 run to close things out. Vembanjama had 22 points on 50% shooting that night.

But Tuesday’s rematch flipped that script, leading to a win for Houston and impressing ESPN’s Chinei Ogwumike.

“What did they do to fuel their win? It was their defense,” Ogwumike said. “You know what I love? When all-time greats like Kevin Durant aren’t running away from the smoke. They’re going for it. . . . It’s locked in. That’s why teams are on the rise.”

Ogwuimike continued.

“There’s going to be more switches to get different people in (Vembanjam), but what the Rockets did was hold him to 24 percent. That’s so rare, because he fell in love with the outside jumper. He was 1-for-11 in the second half, but 1-for-7 in the fourth quarter. It was a virtual defensive masterclass on a guy who was virtual.”

For a team still searching for its identity, Tuesday was a significant step in the right direction. The Rockets are at their best when their defense leads them.