Game 3 SAS v HOU Rockets get their Revenge Spurs Lose 106-109 SAS 1W-2L For The Spurs - Wemby Lots of Boards but not enough POINTS, Sochan for MIP, & The OLD CP3 showed up. For The Rockets - Jalen Green Rare Air. Alperen Sengun with a solid All-Around Game. Steven Adams is strong like Aquaman

 Here is the Game Recap for Game 3:
NBA Game Recap Spurs v Rockets 101-106 L

This game was the opposite of the last game. In this one, the Rockets launched quickly and built up a huge lead keeping the Spurs at bay. Steven Adams played in his 1st game ever for the Rockets and his physicality was a huge challenge to the front line. On a scramble for a loose ball, Smaller Big Body Keldon Johnson and Adams both reached out for the ball. Keldon dove for it and Adams then proceeded to life Keldon AND the ball in 1 motion. The New Zealand Kiwi is 1 strong dude. Check the clip to see this unreal play.
Aquaman Lifts Big Body

For the Spurs, they were led by Wembanyama. He had an okay scoring game with 14 points, a big rebound game with 20 boards, a solid block game with 4 blocks. But for the Spurs to make that move to the playoffs, he has to be more assertive. 14 points on 14 shots isn't as assertive as the team needs from him. SHOT SELECTION is pivotal here. The late clear out for 1 on 1 ball and then a fadeaway jumper is not what one typically expects from the tallest player on the court. 

Jeremy Sochan for Most Improved Player? He's been their best player through 3 game and I have to say, it's been pretty awesome to see that his struggles as a Point Forward has resulted in him being a pretty good Secondary Creator. His offense is still a work in progress but he is showing good balance when he comes up court. He doesn't have tunnel vision and is really a willing passer. 22 Points and 9 Boards with 4 Assists are solid. 

Chris Paul contributed with 16 points and due to a 4 Point Play, got the Spurs as close as he could to stealing this game away. 

Honorable mention goes to Zach Collins. Social Media seems to hate whatever he does, but how can anyone question 11 Points, 3 Rebounds, 1 Assist, and 2 Steals in just 13 minutes. That is solid production

It's not like the Spurs were not trying to win this game. So don't use that weak and tired excuse that says they are tanking on purpose. I cannot fathom them doing that this season. 

The 5 shot attempts to not score scramble was pretty much an indicator or the Spurs' inability to win this game. It was not meant to be.

This is how The 4 Letter Network described it:
San Antonio missed five consecutive shots on one possession in the third quarter, including four at near point-blank range. Sochan opened the possession by missing a floater. Keldon Johnson then missed a 3-pointer, Sochan missed a hook shot, Zach Collins missed a 3-pointer and Sochan ended the futility by missing a layup. After failing to secure the previous four rebounds, Houston gained possession and quickly drove down the court to score on a hook shot by Steven Adams.

Check the Points Created Link tor read up on how the Spurs and Rockets did. 

For the Rockets, Jalen Green in this game was astronomical. He shot 50% from the field. Made 7 3's and went 7-7 from the FT Line.  A 36 Point effort and the Rockets needed all of that to keep the Spurs from stealing this game. It mattered not who Pop had defending Green, unlike the game before, in this game, StevenAdams provided cavernous screens for Green to work off of. Sometimes Green would wait for a play to set while on others, he'd just attack early. 

Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. were underwhelming in the previous game but in this one, they combined for 29 Points, 12 Rebounds, and 6 Assists. Adams had the highest +- with +11.

Here is the link to Points Created for Game 3. How to interpret Points Created Per Minute and Per Game Components are explained in the each game's spreadsheet.
Points Created Game 3 Loss 102824 V Rockets

There's an anomaly in this one since the Spurs Per Game Totals of 103.5 is greater than the Rockets Per Game Total of 100.5 Based on how Points Created Stats use only Official Box Score Statistics. Obviously the real game score counts

The Spurs are now 1-2 for the season with 79 Games more to go. Their next game is against the Oklahoma City Thunder at OKC today. Make sure you tune in!

Here is the NBA Game Stories Preview Link for this upcoming matchup:
NBA Game Stories Spurs @ Thunder Game 4 102024