In the Spurs' worst loss at the beginning of a series, The Rockets shot their way to a victory. Trevor Ariza exploded for 23 points, and James Harden had 20. Kawhi Leonard had 21 points in the loss.
Rockets dominance
The Rockets made 22 threes in a game where six players scored in double figures. It was arguably the best game the Rockets have put together all season. They shot 44 percent from three, 46 percent from the field, and 89 percent from the free throw line. Aside from the insane shooting, two big keys stood out. Clint Capela was a huge factor on offense and defense.
He finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while also holding LaMarcus Aldridge to 4 points.
The Rockets got an emergence from Ryan Anderson in game 1. Although he only had 14 points, he was a +37 on the floor and made four threes. This is so critical for the rest of the series because the Spurs have to honor his shooting ability or he will light you up.
Defensive issues for the Spurs
The largest noticeable defensive issue for San Antonio is their defense on the Pick And Roll. No big on San Antonio's roster can guard the pick and roll efficiently. The Rockets are so good at finding the mismatch and locating which option is available that the Spurs have no chance. Kawhi is an incredible one on one defensive player, but if you set screens on him and make the team guard you instead of just him, it opens up so much for you.
Aside from defense, Kawhi has to be more assertive. Even if the game is out of reach, he needs to take some jumpers to get a rhythm against the Rockets for in the future. He took just 14 shots, and while he only played 32 minutes, he needs to be more aggressive especially towards the beginning of games.
All of this should not take away from what the Rockets did.
They completely dismantled the Spurs. They went straight at them and not only got a lot of shots up, but they also got a lot of good shots. That's the big difference for when this team is dominant is when they get a lot of good shots not just shots.
The Spurs have some questions to figure out, and they need to figure them out soon.
Game two is just two days away, and the Spurs have to come out better on the defensive end. One thing that needs to be looked at for the series is getting Dewayne Dedmon into the game. He's someone that won't do a lot for you on offense, but he will do a lot on defense. He'll be able to guard Capela a bit better and hedge off the pick and rolls that Harden and Capela go through.