The Rockets And The Spurs Have Taken Different Paths This Season

The Houston Rockets have lost some ground in their division as the San Antonio Spurs have put together a quality season led by their elite big man. Houston can begin its climb to try to draw even with the Spurs, starting with the team's next game.

Nov 7, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) and forward Jeremy Sochan (10) guard Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant (7) during the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The Houston Rockets have dropped some places in the Western Conference standings after one of its ugliest stretches as a team. They couldn't replicate any of their best qualities as they fell to three-straight losses against a few teams the Rockets are significantly ahead of in the standings. They followed with a blowout loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder and a dog-fight with the Minnesota Timberwolves without Anthony Edwards.

Despite their bad stretch, the Rockets are still looking to turn things around and get more production from their role players to catch up with one team that is creating distance from the rest of the pack, the division-rival San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs have reached the No. 2 seed in the West with a few games of separation from the Rockets.

San Antonio's pieces have worked better together throughout this season on both sides. Victor Wembanyama is a dynamic player, but his minutes have been limited as the coaching staff looks to keep him healthy throughout the season. De'Aaron Fox is a quality No. 2 scorer on the team, and Stephon Castle provides plenty of the other winning plays elsewhere on the court to make an imposing big three.

The Rockets counter with their own big three, starting with Kevin Durant, who is still playing at an All-NBA caliber at this point in his career. Alperen Sengun may be preparing to participate in his second All-Star game, and Amen Thompson is Houston's do-it-all defender with growing comfort on the offensive end.

Talent-wise, the Rockets are at a mild deficit against some of the other teams in the Western Conference. They don't have an MVP-caliber player on the team this year, and there are several teams in the West that either have a current candidate for 'best player in the world,' or they have a player who could enter that conversation in the future.

Wembanyama falls in the latter category as he has led the Spurs to the second-best record in the West and the top record in the Southwest division. It won't be easy, but the Rockets still have a chance to inch closer to the Spurs in the standings.

They'll start with a game between the two teams in Houston's next matchup before playing a stretch of difficult games that ends with another matchup against the Spurs.

The Rockets are hoping that some of their success from their most recent games can translate against the Spurs so they can begin their climb back into the home-court half of the standings. Their San Antonio rivals may be a roadblock that limits how far they can climb.