Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama pinpoints biggest challenge in Rockets matchup

The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets head into a matchup separated by only one loss near the top of the Western Conference standings. On top of that, they’re rivals. And to add a more recent layer: the two Texas franchises are just a week removed from the Rockets erasing all of a 16-point deficit in rallying to beat Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.

“I think there are a couple teams like that, for sure, but Houston is up there,” Wembanyama said of the toughness with which their divisional rivals play. “The metrics say it in terms of offensive rebounds, turning people over; their game plan in general.”

Physicality — or their trouble with it in the Spurs case — has become a theme over the last several weeks. Their most recent game ended in a loss to a rugged New Orleans Pelicans squad that’s at the bottom of the conference.

A week before that, the Oklahoma City Thunder unleashed their brand of basketball in a rout of San Antonio. That came off the heels of an outing in which the Minnesota Timberwolves, namely Julius Randle, refused to give Wemby any breathing room.

“Houston’s another team that plays just as physical as them, maybe even more. So, we’ve got to be ready for that,” San Antonio guard Devin Vassell said after the loss to New Orleans.

Spurs talk mindset regarding physicality

It may sound counterintuitive at first, but the Spurs insist whatever issues they may have with toughness start with their brains.

“Yeah, it’s mental, but it’s not like we lack the will to do it,” Wembanyama responded when asked specifically if the issues were physical or between the ears.

“It’s recognition and sometimes in our job you lose sight of what actually pays off. And it’s easier to lose sight of what pays off if it’s something labeled as hard, like physicality,” the Spurs leading scorer continued.

The Rockets, like the Pelicans, Thunder and Timberwolves before them, can throw out long, rangy line-ups against the Spurs. It’s added to the difficulty that Stephon Castle’s crew has experienced when quality opponents have clamped down.

“I think just continue to play our game. With the guards we have, we’re super dynamic, so I feel like we can play against a lot of different lineups and especially not give up anything defensively,” the reigning Rookie of the Year shared. “So, yeah, offensively just sticking to the same thing that we’ve been doing. Just playing our game and then forcing the defense to have to stop it.”

San Antonio controlled most of what turned into a 111-106 loss in Houston eight days before this next meeting.

"Same as usual, blowing 15-plus point leads…We're all putting our minds into it.

But, we're conscious it is a problem."

-Victor Wembanyama following another #Spurs blown big lead, this one 16 in Houston in a 111-106 loss#PorVida#GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/ziJSkRoYnq

— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) January 21, 2026

“We have a talented basketball team and we might rely on it too much sometimes. Our talent bails us out often, but it’s shots,” Wemby revealed. “There’s some days where you can’t make shots, so you have to be able to impact the game in every other areas.”

Seething from the Pelicans loss, which dropped the Spurs to 4-4 in their last eight, Wembanyama is eyeing another shot at the Rockets.

“We had two days where we set things straight between us in the video room. We’re ready.”

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