Spurs-Rockets: 5 takeaways as Victor Wembanyama delivers late – NBA.com

San Antonio's phenom shakes off slow start, Jeremy Sochan at the point and Wemby corrects foul issues.
Michael C. Wright
Victor Wembanyama scored 13 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter and OT to secure his 1st victory in the NBA.
SAN ANTONIO – Victor Wembanyama called for the ball.
But not much prior to that warranted throwing it.
Through three quarters he’d shot 3-for-12. Yet with 20.2 seconds left and their team down 111-109, Keldon Johnson found the 19-year-old Frenchman.
“That trust, of course, is gained,” Wembanyama explained, after sending the game into overtime in leading San Antonio to a 126-122 win over the Houston Rockets.
Here are five takeaways from the matchup:
1. Cold shooting night heats up for Wembanyama
As mentioned before, Wembanyama started slow. The rookie connected on 2-for-7 in the opening frame before missing all three of his 3-point attempts in the second quarter.
By the time the fourth quarter rolled round, Wembanyama had tallied more turnovers (2) than made 3-pointers (0). Still, the rookie remained undeterred with the game on the line.
With Johnson providing the assist, Wembanyama drove hard for a contested layup over Jabari Smith Jr. with 20.2 seconds to go, tying the game 111-111.
The rookie would score 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and overtime period.
He also managed 12 rebounds, an assist, three blocks and two steals.
San Antonio outscored Houston 50-39 in the fourth quarter and OT.
That first win feeling 🥹 pic.twitter.com/ZsfkQHV6l7
— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 28, 2023

Then, in a postgame locker room where Spurs coach Gregg Popovich congratulated Wembanyama on his first NBA victory, the rookie found himself issuing an apology.
Popovich had just yelled at the 19-year-old relentlessly minutes earlier from the bench.
“I forgot one play that we added today, actually,” Wembanyama said. “Rookie mistake. [It was] 100% legitimate for him to yell at me in that moment. I apologized after the game.”
2. The Wembanyama wow files
Maybe you saw the game, but here’s a spot you can find most of Wembanyama’s highlights in one place? Here are five impressive Wembanyama plays from Friday’s action:
3. Jeremy Sochan’s education at PG continues
During the formative years of former Spur Kawhi Leonard’s career in San Antonio, Popovich encouraged the two-time NBA Finals MVP to review tape of Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan.
Popovich initiated the practice to teach the then-budding superstar how to handle constant double teams.
But that’s not the approach the coach prefers in educating Sochan, the 6-foot-8 forward turned point guard, during his transition to a new position.
“We haven’t given him a specific player to watch because I think he is who he is,” Popovich explained. “So, we watch him play. We help him how to understand how to run a team, what’s going on on the floor, what plays are appropriate at what time, score. He’s got to do it his way.”
Sochan logged 26 minutes Friday, scoring 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting with four assists.
Interestingly, the Spurs opted for backup Tre Jones during crunch time in regulation. Jones played 33 minutes.
4. Wembanyama’s foul trouble from opener correctable
That’s the message Popovich delivered to the Frenchman upon watching film from Wednesday’s season-opening loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
The rookie committed two fouls in the first quarter of the opener and two more in the third before being whistled for foul No. 5 just 26 ticks into the final frame.
The foul trouble threw off Wembanyama’s rhythm the entire contest.
He played just 12 minutes in the first half of that game but committed just two fouls Friday against the Rockets.
Victor Wembanyama finishes with 21 points and 12 rebounds to earn his 1st NBA victory.
“When you get in foul trouble like that, you go in and out the game, it makes it tough for you,” Popovich said. “But he’s learning what’s accepted, what’s not, how to be more careful maybe in certain situations.”
The 19-year-old displayed as much against Houston. The first quarter passed. No fouls. Wembanyama wasn’t as fortunate in the second, committing his first infraction with 8:39 remaining.
5. Spurs spread it out during OT
Five different Spurs contributed to the cause in overtime with three (Johnson, Wembanyama and Zach Collins) chipping in four points apiece.
That foursome shot 5-for-8 collectively, while Sochan and Devin Vassell, added two and one point(s), respectively.
Vassell racked up a team-high 25 points as one of two Spurs starters (Wembanyama was the other) to finish with a positive plus-minus.
Popovich commented “absolutely not” when asked whether the Spurs displayed composure down the stretch.
“That’s a work in progress,” he said. “But the best thing about it was they were persistent. We got better and better as we adjusted to their physicality. The ball moved better. We were pretty ordinary for about two and a half, three quarters I thought, and kicked it into high gear.”
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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.
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