After a couple of tough losses, Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs needed to show they could adjust and overcome adversity to silence the doubters. Both the star and the team were up for the task against a Rockets team that gave them all they could handle. The hard-fought 121-110 win got San Antonio back on the right path and to a good start in the Emirates Cup.

It wasn’t a pretty half, which foreshadowed how the game would go. The Rockets guarded Victor Wembanyama like most opponents do: by sending doubles before he catches the ball and pushing him to the perimeter to neutralize his impact. The Spurs used some tricks like having Alperen Sengun’s man screen for Stephon Castle, but the second-year guard was not at his sharpest, and the offense often struggled. A smaller lineup with Jeremy Soc

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