SAN ANTONIO — The Houston Rockets ended their 11-game losing streak Saturday night in a 122-110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Here are three takeaways from the Rockets' win inside the AT&T Center.
Friday's practice set the tone for Saturday's win:
Coach Stephen Silas credited several attributes for the Rockets' win over the Spurs. But when recalling the events of the last 24 hours, Silas said the competitive practice the Rockets held inside the Toyota Center set the tone heading into San Antonio.
He said the second unit was great during practice. Ironically, Houston's bench played a major role in helping the Rockets end an 11-game losing skid.
Josh Christopher described Friday's practice as competitive and full of energy. But it gave the team a chance to come together as the Rockets tried to end their second-longest losing streak of the season.
"The second unit was getting after the first unit, whether it was a half-court drill or sets," Silas said. "Both groups were going after it. I love to see carryover, whether it's from shootaround or practice. It was the competitiveness."
Better switching leads to a second-half defensive surge:
The Rockets had one of their better defensive performances against the Spurs, despite San Antonio finishing the night shooting 40.5 percent from behind the arc.
Houston has struggled with their switching for most of the season. But against the Spurs, the Rockets appeared to understand the defensive concept during the second half.
After allowing the Spurs to connect on 11 made triples in the first half, Houston appeared more talkative and engaged on the defensive end.
The Rockets' communication and effort improved their ability to switch on perimeter shooters, which limited the Spurs' 3-point shooting to 23.5 percent during the second half.
The Rockets' ability to close out on a shooter helped them become the fast-playing team they envisioned before the start of the season. Defense led to the Rockets outscoring the Spurs 30-19 in fast break points.
"Our defense was pretty good," Silas said. "We were getting after it, getting some loose balls and steals. We wanted to make sure we were getting out to their shooters.
"We were not soft in the first half. But we were not getting after it like I thought we could. We knew if we could close out and make it a little harder, we would have a better shot of winning the game."
Josh Christopher's role comes into fruition:
Josh Christopher came into the season projected to have a rotational spot within Silas' rotation. But Christopher's minutes were far from guaranteed for most of the season.
He spent the first half of the season bouncing back and forth from the Rockets to the G league. And when he was a part of Houston's game-day roster, Christopher spent the majority of his time at the end of the bench.
Silas kept Christopher's spirits up by promising his opportunity would come. And against the Spurs, the pre-season ideal of having Christopher be a spark plug off the bench came to fruition.
"I am happy for Josh," Silas said. "For him and I, it starts on the defensive end. When he gets after it on the defensive end, the offense comes for him. He did it on both ends tonight and was a big part of our victory."
Christopher came off the bench and recorded 14 points, four assists and a pair of blocks. Christopher said his contributions in San Antonio meant a lot, given the struggles he had to endure throughout his sophomore campaign.
Best performance:
It is hard to believe Tari Eason was not initially named to the Rising Stars event. But each time he steps onto the court, Eason proves he should have been one of the original 28 players.
Eason had one of the best performances of his young career. He came one-point shy of his career-high with 20 points. He also gave great production on both ends of the floor, finishing the game with five rebounds and two steals in the win.
Worst performance:
Kevin Porter Jr. is still trying to work his way back from a 20-game absence. But on a night when the Rockets had eight players who scored in double-figures, Porter's play was the least efficient.
He finished the game with 11 points but was 4-for-10 from the field, 1-for-4 from behind the arc. But despite his subpar shooting, Porter helped the Rockets move the ball and clean the glass with six rebounds and a team-high five assists.
Final words:
"It was a good team win. We needed everybody. And everybody contributed. For us to have 26 assists and eight guys who scored in double-figures was important. But it was the defensive efforts of the second group with all of the switching and getting into the passing lanes so we can run and play to our strengths." — Silas
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