Houston Rockets aimed to continue the longest winning streak of this young season by getting their second consecutive win in the match they hosted San Antonio Spurs. Wednesday night’s game marked the third time the Rockets played against the Spurs this season.

The Rockets’ record on the season is 4-3 after Monday night’s win against the New York Knicks. Earlier that day, both Tari Eason and Dillon Brooks were listed as questionable due to illnesses, but were ultimately able to play.

Spurs were without Jeremy Sochan and Devin Vassell due to Sochan’s hand injury at the beginning of the week. Of course, the Spurs were still without head coach Greg Popovich, who suffered a medical emergency before Saturday’s game.

With Brooks able to play, we were able to lead the Rockets’ defensive efforts and completely shut down Victor Wembanyama. Fred VanVleet took over the offensive end of the floor while Brooks locked down the defensive end.

Until Monday’s game against the New York Knicks, VanVleet had struggled to start the season. He was shooting under 30 percent coming into that game, and many wondered if some of his minutes should go to other players.

VanVleet has shot 18-25 in the last two games since starting the season 8-39. In Wednesday night’s win, VanVleet shot 10-11 from the field, recorded ten assists and seven rebounds. The Rockets never trailed and managed to pull off an easy 127-100 victory over the Spurs.

From the beginning of the season, Ime Udoka expressed confidence that VanVleet would overcome his shooting slump.

Udoka has repeatedly said that VanVleet was taking good shots, but the shots weren’t going in, and that he was going to turn it around. Udoka echoed that sentiment after last night’s game when the Rockets on SI asked him about the benefits of having a veteran like VanVleet on the team.

VanVleet is the only player on the team that Udoka will not leave on the bench, as he is very confident in his play and leadership. Rockets on SI asked VanVleet after the game about his mindset on not going too high or too low throughout the season.

One of the biggest things the Rockets were missing during their rebuild was experienced leadership. VanVleet has filled that void since signing with the Rockets in 2023 and has been a leader on the team since day one.

Players like Jalen Green discuss upcoming games, including how Fred VanVleet responded to a question about whether the upcoming matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder is a benchmark to measure the Rockets’ performance against a top team. Green also expressed his thoughts on the same question.

VanVleet’s impact on the team goes beyond the box score. You see and hear it in the locker room, at practices and during the game. The Rockets will continue to need VanVleet to lead the way if they are to reach the playoffs, one of their main goals.

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