The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Houston Rockets, 131-106. Keldon Johnson recorded a season-high 28 points for the Spurs, while Dejounte Murray added 19 points, 7 rebounds and 11 assists in the victory. Jalen Green tallied 12 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists for the Rockets in the losing effort. The Spurs improve to 20-34 on the season, while the Rockets fall to 15-37.
Post Game Comments:
Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich
(On the team’s play early in the game…)
“We did a good job in the paint. Played a very good second half. We only turned it over three times in the second half, nine in the first. We were a little sloppy in the first half, but I thought we were much more solid moving the basketball, taking care of the basketball, got us some better shots, and we obviously shot better in the second half. Houston never gives in. They’re aggressive, physical, athletic, they just keep on coming. I think we had a good night shooting. Great to get Jakob [Poeltl] back. Zach [Collins], we got to look at him finally. He was pretty awesome for his first pro game in two years. I can’t even imagine what was going through his head before and during the game, but he was very good. A lot of rust in there, probably, after a couple of years. We are happy for him. [Dejounte Murray] was wonderful as usual, running the club. He and Derrick [White] together played so well. We forget Doug [McDermott] made the shots tonight, which really helps. So, all in all it was a good night, and we needed it.”
(On Zach Collins’ performance…)
“He’s a talented young man. He’s physical, doesn’t shy away from contact, he can play out on the floor, or he can play on the clock. He showed that.”
(On if the Rodeo road trip means less after east coast trip…)
“We are on the road, and we are together. It’s a chance to just concentrate on basketball and zero in on some aspects of the game.”
Spurs Guard/Forward Keldon Johnson
(On Zach Collins…)
“We’ve been watching Zach play and getting up to this moment since he got here. We are all excited. Just to see him out there having fun I think was the biggest part. Seeing him out there running up and down, be healthy, and have fun. I feel like he just showed y’all what he can do. He played his game, he had fun.”
(On where the team could be with Zach Collins in a few weeks…)
“Only time will tell. I’m excited. I’m for Zach to be back with us and playing with us and going in there playing every night and competing with us. So, only time will tell how good we can be.”
(On his confidence level from three…)
“Just let it fly. Don’t think about it too much. Just let it fly. The rest will take care of itself. I feel like I come in and put in a lot of work toward my jump shot since my rookie season. That’s pretty much what everybody said. I can’t shoot. I was just a driver. Now, I added that to my game. I just got to continue working, keep trusting it, and keep doing what I’m doing.”
Spurs Forward/Center Zach Collins
(On his emotions about tonight’s game…)
“A little bit of everything. Nervous, anxious, excited. I try to calm myself down, but I couldn’t. I knew that usually when I’m nervous, once I get out there and start playing, I’m fine. Definitely in that first half, I still had those emotions. I was a little bit nervous, and I was a little bit shocked to be in an NBA game again after so long. I’ve been sitting on the couch for a long time. In the second half, I felt more at home. It all went away, so I was happy to get that first one in.”
(On getting more comfortable as the game went on…)
“Again, everything in the first half was rocky. Toward the end of the first half, everything continued to get better. In the second half, I felt good. I felt like I had a better read on things. Defensively, I need more reps. More reps of guarding guys, more reps of being in the right spots in help and not letting my man get behind me, stuff that I was doing before when I was healthy. It’s always a process to get back. In the G-League, every game felt better, so I’m assuming the same is going to happen up here.”
(On being on the court with everyone…)
“It’s surreal. The whole time, this whole week. I brought my parents out here. I made them come out for my first game. I kept talking about how it’s crazy that we’re here. About a year ago, I was dealing with that second surgery in Vegas, away from Portland, and now we’re here. All that is behind me, and it’s a crazy feeling. I’m super happy.”
(On staying mentally and emotionally prepared for his return…)
“I always tell myself ‘life could be worse.’ At the end of the day, I still had a job. I still had my career playing basketball, and that’s something to be thankful for. Anytime I was feeling sorry for myself or thinking that I had been dealt a bad hand, I reminded myself that life could be worse. That’s really what kept me positive. Along with that, the people around me were super positive. None of us dwelled on the past. All we did was look to the future. They did a good job.”