On April 1, 2018, the Spurs hosted the Rockets in San Antonio. The Spurs were fighting for their playoff lives, and the Rockets were on an 11-game win streak. The home team won the game in decisive fashion, and it ended up being critical as the season came down to the wire. It also highlighted some important strengths and weaknesses the Spurs are likely to lean on this season. In particular, late in the second quarter, there was a defense-to-offense sequence that may offer a foreshadowing of what’s to come.
The Spurs built a small lead, at 26-20 early in the second quarter, but the game had been a see-saw battle up to that point.