Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images First of many, hopefully! After Keldon Johnson addressed the crowd prior to the game, thanking them for their support and starting a Go Spurs Go chant, the San Antonio Spurs tipped off their home opener against bitter rivals the Houston Rockets. The crowd who started hot had more to cheer for early on after Julian Champagnie — who hit the first shot in their season opener in Dallas - scored the opening five points of this contest. It was raining threes early in the Frost Bank Center with both teams nailing six shots apiece from beyond the arc in the first eight minutes. Victor Wembanyama got in on that action hitting back-to-back threes after only scoring one of eight from downtown in his first game of his sophomore season on Thursday. Jeremy Sochan who was impressive in the outing against the Mavs and looks to have made a Year 3 leap started strong again, particularly inside the paint, bullying the Rockets bigs to score down low. That was all part of a 38 point first quarter which gave them a seven point lead. Turnovers were the downfall in the Spurs season opening loss and it crept up again early in the second quarter which allowed Houston back into the game. With Tre Jones ruled out for up to two weeks with a sprained ankles there were minutes available off the bench for one of the Spurs many young guards to take. Coach Pop gave the opportunity to the Spurs third year guard Malaki Branham to find his footing in Jones’ absence. The former Ohio Buckeye who will have to earn minutes this year with the additions of Stephon Castle, Harrison Barnes and Chris Paul above him, went on a individual scoring run, looking aggressive attacking mismatches and slowing down the visiting team’s momentum. This quarter though was all about defense. San Antonio didn’t allow a Rockets bucket for nine straight minutes as they swarmed on that end and stayed connected as a team on rotations on the perimeter and at the rim. Courtesy of their team defensive effort the Spurs went into the half up 62-41. Third quarters were the bane of the Spurs existence last season, giving up leads after leads and allowing games to get away from them time and time again. It looked like that may happen again after the visitors started the third on a 7-0 run. But facing adversity, the Spurs responded by grinding on the boards and scoring at the rim. Keldon Johnson was a huge difference maker in that period converting a number of and-1 opportunities and doing his patented scream to the crowd. Wemby who had scored 15 in the first half was left scoreless in the first six-plus minutes of the third quarter until the Spurs started to target switches to get wings and guards onto the 7’5 Alien. Vic took full advantage scoring on multiple straight possessions to give San Antonio a 87-69 lead heading into the final frame. It was a back-and-forth opening foray in the fourth until the visitors hit back-to-back threes to cut the deficit to 13. With the Rockets closing in on the Spurs lead the offense started to stagnate and Houston were making them pay in transition off San Antonio misses. Then with the game in the balance the Spurs young superstar Wemby did what all superstars do and got himself to the free throw line for some easy points. The last few minutes were scrappy by both teams with the two teams squandering opportunities to gain control of the contest, but fortunately for the Spurs, Castle and Keldon showed some poise from the line to hit five of six free throws to seal the game for the Silver and Black, 109-106. Play of the game An unguardable up-and-under. OH MAMA WEMBANYAMA‼️ pic.twitter.com/mEzHVPg4qT— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Game notes Punching adversity in the mouth. After a near perfect first half the second half offered the Spurs a different challenge as they faced adversity throughout the half as the Rockets tried to find a comeback. The Spurs stood up to each Rockets run and the moment never looked to big for them as they kept fighting and found a way to win. Something which good teams do. It won’t be the last time they face trials and tribulations this season, but it was nice to see in their first clutch game of the season they came out with the dub. Jeremy Sochan Year 3 Leap. Well... it’s certainly looking like it. Two games in and it looks like the third year forward has jumped a level on both ends of the floor and is playing with unbridled confidence. Sochan was a beast inside the paint today scoring 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds while playing outstanding on the defensive end. Wemby’s Rhythm. In the game against Dallas a lack of pre-season action for Vic seemed to have an effect as he looked out of sorts and lacklustre, but in his second game of the year he looked a lot more like the Wemby we saw at the end of last year. Wembanyama scored 29 points on 17 shots while getting to the line for eight attempts in which he converted seven times. Next game: vs. Rockets on Monday The Spurs and Rockets meet again on Monday at the Frost Bank Center before the Silver & Black head off on a two-game road trip.