Image Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

Spurs vs Rockets: Three Takeaways as Harrison Barnes’ 24 Points Help Spurs Humble Rockets

The Spurs are now 6-2 in the ongoing season.

Image Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The San Antonio Spurs ended their two-game losing skid and got back on the winning track as they played their first 2025 NBA Cup clash. The Spurs handed a 121-110 defeat to the Houston Rockets, snapping the five-game winning streak of their counterparts. The Spurs were led by Harrison Barnes, who dropped 24 points, while Victor Wembanyama and Julian Champagnie came up with 22 points each.

While Wembanyama had a scoring night, what set the tone for the Spurs were the six three-pointers apiece from Barnes and Champagnie. Overall, the Spurs had 18-for-45 from beyond the arc, and made 23 of 25 from the foul line. For the Rockets, Alperen Sengun led the charts with 25 points, while Kevin Durant scored 24 points.

Here are three takeaways from the Spurs’ win over Rockets on Friday, which improved their record to 6-2 in the regular season and 3-6 all-time in the NBA Cup.

Victor Wembanyama’s Second Quarter Surge Pushes Spurs

VICTOR WEMBANYAMA POSTER ON KEVIN DURANT. 🔥🔥🔥

pic.twitter.com/YCYekChfHn
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 8, 2025

Victor Wembanyama, who had been dealing with defenders in the last two games, had a slow start to the opening half. The Rockets used the same tried-and-tested method on him and used small defenders. As a result, the Frenchman had only four points going into halftime, with only six field goal attempts. However, things got better for the Spurs after the break and Wembanyama added 18 points in the second half. This marked his first 20-point game since October 30.

Julian Champagnie Bounces Back After a Tough Game vs Lakers

Julian Champagnie : Season-high 22 points (6-13 shooting from 3 & 4-4 from the FT line), 7 rebounds & 4 steals in 31 minutes pic.twitter.com/Nl2DQd1I0t
— Lee Harvey (@Sayian_Warrior) November 8, 2025

Julian Champagnie, who has been averaging 10.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.5 assists this season, made a comeback on Friday. In the previous game against the Los Angeles Lakers, he missed a pair of free throws in the final moments, which could have sent the game to overtime. However, it didn’t take him much time to bounce back and dropped 22 points, while grabbing seven rebounds, and one assist. He was shooting 6-of-14 from the field and 6-of-13 from the three-point range.

Kevin Durant’s Turnovers Prove Costly

Kevin Durant, who has had poor performances against the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks, bounced back and scored 24 points, along with one rebound and two assists. He was shooting 8-of-18 from the field and 1-of-2 from the three-point range. However, his game-high eight turnovers prove costly for the Rockets. This marked the 18th occasion in Durant’s career, where he has recorded 8+ turnovers in a single game. Overall, the Rockets committed 23 turnovers.

Houston Rockets

San Antonio Spurs

Garima Ranawat

Garima is a sports writer with around two years of experience in Indian sports and a newfound interest in the NBA. Inspired by the leadership of cricketing legend MS Dhoni, she wishes to bring in newer perspectives to the NBA fanatics with her writing.