Photo by Logan Riely/NBAE via Getty Images The Rockets lit up the Spurs in their final preseason game. The San Antonio Spurs played their last preseason game without key contributors like Victor Wembanyama, Jeremy Sochan, and Chris Paul. Conversely, the Houston Rockets trotted out the full rotation in their final tune-up game. The Rockets were red-hot from deep and made quick work of the shot-handed Spurs 129-107. Houston shot 34.9% from deep (a number that decreased greatly in garbage time), hitting 15 threes. San Antonio’s defense couldn’t keep up with the Rockets’ aggressive pace, ball movement, and shooting. Their offense couldn’t either. The Spurs shot just 43.2% from the field and 26.5% from deep. They were dominated inside by Alperen Sengun, who had a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jalen Green led all scorers with 30 points while shooting 7-13 from three. The Spurs were led by their rookie, Stephon Castle, who had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in the loss. It was the most he’s had the ball in his hands all preseason, as he shot 6-14 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line. He continued to aggressively attack the rim and mixed in a few sweet-looking mid-range jumpers. The Spurs will get a week to prepare for their opening night matchup against the Dallas Mavericks on October 24th. Observations The Spurs really struggled to score at the rim against Houston. Zach Collins, Blake Wesley, and Malaki Branham all missed several wide-open layups. Those missed opportunities stacked up at Houston buried three after three. The Spurs were outscored in the paint 62-58. Houston dominated the glass, out-rebounding the Spurs 55-38. They were aggressive on the offensive glass, tallying up 16 offensive rebounds. The strength and athleticism of these young Rockets were on full display. The rebounding battle would likely have been closer if Wembanyama and Sochan played. Sandro Mamukelashvili continues to make the most of his minutes. Whether he plays the four or five, the offense just looks better with him out there. The question is: does it make up for his defensive deficiencies? He finished the last preseason game with 9 points and 2 assists. He averaged 9.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists for the preseason. We’ll see if it was enough to earn a spot in the rotation next week. Charles Bassey is working his way back from the ACL injury that sidelines him for ten months. He had a solid outing in his second preseason game. The big man had 10 points and 5 rebounds in 14 minutes. He made an impact inside as a rebounder and lob threat, especially in the fourth quarter. Sidy Cissoko had his best game of the preseason, finishing with 15 points and 4 rebounds. He was a force in transition and as a cutter, finishing with some aggressive dunks. He hit a catch-and-shoot three-pointer that showed off a jumper that looked smoother than last year. Collins led the Spurs in assists tonight with 6. He’s so good at making plays for others on the high post. He hit Malaki Branham on several occasions on backdoor cuts for easy buckets. His passing ability should elevate the floor of the Spurs’ second unit this year. For all of the talk about Riley Minix getting the Spurs’ last two-way contract spot, he was one of the few active players not to log minutes in the loss.