Rockets Fall to Spurs in Big Loss on the Road

The Houston Rockets made the roadtrip across Texas and took on the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday Night Basketball action on NBC and lost 145-120. This was the final regular season matchup between these two physical rivals and the Spurs won the season series 3-1. The Spurs further their hold as the No. 2 seed in the West.

The Rockets fell to 39-24 and dropped a spot to fourth in the Western Conference standings. There were two leading scorers for Houston. Amen Thompson put up 23 points on 53% shooting along with seven rebounds, six assists and no turnovers. Kevin Durant also scored 23 on 58% shooting.

Reed Sheppard added 17 off the bench while Alperen Sengun got 16 points and six rebounds, but he also had five turnovers. The Rockets shot just 28% (8/28) from three while the Spurs were 21/40 (53%). San Antonio was also 58% overall from the field. The 12 turnovers from Houston gave 25 points for the Spurs.

Game Recap

Mar 8, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) dribbles the ball against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Victor Wembanyama started the night with a 3-pointer. Wemby scored the first 8 points for the Spurs, and Dylan Harper hit back-to-back threes off the bench for San Antonio.

Sengun was active early with a couple of buckets inside, and Durant made one as well. Dorian Finney-Smith got early minutes and made a 3-pointer.

The Spurs went up 18-9 around halfway through the first. Sheppard got some minutes early and knocked down a triple. San Antonio’s ball movement was giving problems to Houston’s defense.

The Spurs took a 10-point lead. Thompson responded with an athletic reverse layup, and the Rockets went on a 7-0 run. DFS knocked down another trey from the corner, and the Rockets were down 24-21.

Thompson got to the line and hit both free throws, followed up by a Durant midrange jumper, and all of a sudden, Houston took a 27-26 lead. Durant scored the last four points of the quarter, and the Rockets had a 33-32 lead at the end of one after a slow start.

The Rockets began the second quarter just as poor as the first. San Antonio went on an 18-6 run out of the gate. Jabari Smith Jr. made a couple of tough midrange jumpers that cut into the deficit. Sheppard scored five late.

After what was a promising end to the first quarter, the Rockets struggled with turnovers, and the Spurs dominated the second overall 37-24 and took a 12-point lead into the half.

While the Rockets shot relatively well in the first half at 51%, it was the eight turnovers that added 18 Spurs points. SA also made 5 more threes. Durant was the leading scorer at half with 11 points and five rebounds, while Thompson added 10 and 6.

The Rockets just got dominated by the Spurs from the start of the third quarter. San Antonio went on an extended 22-6 run and the game quickly got out of hand for Houston. The Rockets were suddenly down 26 points at 93-67. The Spurs could not miss a shot after halftime, and Houston were hardly making any.

Just when it seems like the Rockets were completely out of it, Houston went on a 15-6 run led by fast break points and turnovers from Thompson. The Rockets were still down 110-94 after three quarters, but it was a much better position than down a game high 26 points.

It was a good start to the fourth quarter for the Rockets led by Smith Jr who scored a quick six points. Houston was down 12, but the Spurs responded and got it back out to 18. The final push by the Rockets was unsuccessful, and the bench came into the game with around four minutes to go.

The schedule ahead won't get easier for the Rockets as they'll take on the Toronto Raptors at home on Tuesday.