Photo by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images Highlights from the Spurs first win of the season. The San Antonio Spurs-Houston Rockets rivalry has been reignited in the last two years. After a few seasons of neither team being a threat to make the playoffs, these two teams have improved, raising the stakes of the matchup. A series of events (including a number one pick celebrating being drafted by the Spurs over the Rockets) have led to these two teams getting even more chippy on the court. Before Saturday night’s game, Jeremy Sochan jokingly leaned into fueling the flames. Starting tonight, the Spurs are set to clash with the Houston Rockets three times in the next dozen days. Jeremy Sochan's take on the upcoming games and the rivalry? Absolute gold. #Spurs #Rockets #NBA #RedNation #ClutchCity #RunAsOne #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/IDP6SrToF8— SpursRΞPORT (@SpursReporter) October 26, 2024 Come game time, these two teams were ready to battle. The Spurs played a much improved game compared to their loss to the Dallas Mavericks, and held on late for their first victory of the season, defeating the Rockets 109-106. Victor Wembanyama was dominant putting up 29 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks. One of the biggest stories may be what happened to he and Dillon Brooks in the third quarter. DILLON BROOKS AND WEMBY pic.twitter.com/96HwNDkOri— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 27, 2024 Brooks tries to go for the steal, Wembanyama loses footing and goes to the floor, and a mob ensues. Brooks has a long track record of physical play. He’s not afraid to be the bad guy and he sure was one to the fans at the Frost Bank Center. Outside of the dust-up, it was a fairly normal, competitive game from these two Western Conference foes. this sequence pic.twitter.com/0UuSvSSvii— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Both teams were red hot from three to start the game. They traded deep shots throughout the first quarter. This play is indicative of the breakneck pace the Spurs rode to a big lead come half time. Good rim deterrence by Wembanyama, then great ball movement on the secondary break leading to an open three from Julian Champagnie, who had 12 points in the win. Pull up...SPLASH pic.twitter.com/dnqimlKdcR— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Wembanayama came out of the gates firing. After a disappointing opener against Dallas, he was locked in from tip off and really owned the matchup against Alperen Sengun. These pull-up jumpers look even smoother than last season. LOGO WEMBY Victor Wembanyama is UNREAL pic.twitter.com/pyvkPO8NXf— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) October 27, 2024 I mean he’s just casually nailing pull-ups from the logo. A 7-foot-5 player hitting pull-ups. from. the. logo. Crazy. OH MAMA WEMBANYAMA‼️ pic.twitter.com/mEzHVPg4qT— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Pairing that range with the ability to do this in the post is what makes Wembanyama so special. The defense has to respect the fake to the middle because he is so hard to contest. Wemby gets the defender off his feet, then steps through, covering insane distance for the dunk. AT THE BUZZER END Q3 | SAS 87, HOU 69 pic.twitter.com/ygsF0gHa35— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Wembanyama got deep into his bag on Saturday. This step-back jumper at the buzzer showed off supreme footwork and balance, even in the face of a decent contest by former Spur Jock Landale. Finished it. pic.twitter.com/4sQU8BfzEF— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 This play shows Wembanyama doing it all. He finds the cutter, and cleans up the miss on the contested layup with a put back slam. STEPH. CASTLE. pic.twitter.com/CNSvmwIKz4— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 The Spurs may have another good rookie on their hands. Stephon Castle played big minutes in the win and had an impressive game. He finished with 8 points, 3 assists and 2 steals. Not everyone knows that Castle has some vertical pop, but Amen Thompson learned quickly on the losing end of this poster. another one, thank you! pic.twitter.com/5yWBbvG2y8— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 I’ve been impressed with Castle’s floor vision overall. He’s already so adept at finding open players on cross court passes or dump offs. Here he maintains poise in the face of the double team and finds and open Harrison Barnes for the three. got eeeeeem pic.twitter.com/7uw3iOOr9K— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 As Castle continues to mature as an NBA player, he will give the Spurs a solid pick and roll ball-handler and a guard/wing who can provide rim pressure. He’s patient and can explode to the rim with strength within a moment. Yessir! pic.twitter.com/EvolEv0n9c— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Keldon Johnson provided a scoring pop of the bench with 16 points and 8 rebounds. The forward really thrives in the up-tempo game the Spurs played last night. He’s at his best when he’s getting out on the break and using his strength and finishing ability to make plays. pic.twitter.com/8DqzZfvn05— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Exhibit A. BIG B0DY‼️ pic.twitter.com/FtaC3vj5yM— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Exhibit B. Double-double night for Jeremy! : 17 PTS, 12 REB, 3 AST pic.twitter.com/fSUFumdW7q— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 27, 2024 Jeremy Sochan faced scrutiny all summer for his play last year. A point guard experiment and learning to play next to Wembanyama led to an uneven year. He’s come out of the gates really strong this season with a double-double on Saturday. Sochan had 17 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. He competes his tail off and has been effective as a cutter and finisher around the basket. His development will be key to the Spurs success this season. Check out full highlights from the Spurs win below.