Rockets Dominance vs. Spurs Shows Growth

The Houston Rockets went down to the wire against the San Antonio Spurs in their first two meetings this season at the Frost Bank Center. However, there were no nails bitten in their 127-100 win against the Spurs on Wednesday night at the Toyota Center.

Playing at home certainly makes a difference, especially for the Rockets, but it also is a sign of the team's early growth on the young season.

The Rockets had yet to win a game in blowout fashion up until this point, but they managed to put the Spurs away early and keep their foot on the gas.

The Rockets used to be where the Spurs were, getting routinely blown out by superior teams. However, they are no longer the inferior. They have the roster capable of competing every single night, which has been proven through the team's first eight games. The Rockets have either won or lost a close game. Even when they trailed by 31 last week against the Golden State Warriors, they managed to come back only to fall in overtime.

With Ime Udoka in his second season at the helm, expectations have been set and there's a familiarity there that wasn't present before. It will allow the Rockets to be competitive night-in and night-out, and that will move them up the ladder in a tight Western Conference throughout the season.