Season 48, Game 32
San Antonio 110, Houston 106
19-13, 7th in the West

I didn’t imagine it was possible, but this Rockets team just keeps getting more and more unlikeable. James Harden and Dwight Howard are my two least favorite “superstars”, with eyesore games to match. But now they’ve added Jason Terry, who is always atop the Spurs’ fans hate list; Patrick Beverley makes me want to punch someone, and I’m not a violent person; Corey Brewer is easy to dislike, particularly the way he prances around and raises his hands after every made 3; Josh Smith is easy to root against; I mean, even Trevor Ariza is kind of annoying to me now, and I never had a problem with him before.

So maybe it’s just the stink of the Rockets. (It’s not in the case of at least 6 of those players.) Either way, tonight’s win felt really good. We actually got a win in this hellacious month; and we got a win against a Divisional Rival and perhaps our most-disliked rival, snapping a 6-game losing streak to them.

What a crazy game it was. It was played at a frenetic pace, except for that one stretch of the 3rd quarter that lasted 40 minutes and had a foul called every 14 seconds. The teams combined for 43 turnovers to 42 assists, 63 3-point attempts, and 23 3-point makes (a combined 37%, not bad). It was by no stretch of any imagination a pretty or even well-played game, but it was entertaining as hell. And it was a Spurs’ win, the best takeaway of all.

The best news from the evening had nothing to do with the game: Patty Mills was back in the line-up. If you thought Pop was going to ease him into duty, you were wrong. He played 20 minutes, most in the second half, and was a key dog in the crunch-time line-up and the line-up that won the game for the Spurs in the final stretch. It’s nice to have you back, Patty.

He looked very rusty in the first half, bricking some shots and turning it over. This is to be expected. He looked a lot better in the second half, as he was able to get a couple of layups and free throws, and then some midrange jumpers to fall. He never hit a 3 (the AT&T Center would probably have exploded if he had), but the threat was there, and it brought life back to the second unit. He looks in remarkably good shape for having not played competitive basketball since the Finals. He was a dud for three quarters, but his usual energetic plus when it mattered most.

Let’s hope the return of Patty brings some stability to the second unit and “The Foreign Legion”, who have been pretty awful this season. In the second quarter–as has been happening a lot this season–the Rockets bench really handled our bench, and Houston had their largest lead of the game during that stretch. Especially since our stars tend to play limited minutes, we need to get more value out of our second unit. It was a major reason for the team’s success in the last 2 seasons going to the Finals.

Patty also paired quite well with Cory, as the two shared the floor together for the run that put the Spurs on top for good. It’s a positive sign that the two can share the floor as Pop will need to find minutes for all three of his PGs once Tony is back healthy. Cory just keeps earning it and is coming into his own. I still think I believe in his shot more than he does, but he has been the second or third most consistent player on the roster this season. If he can find time sharing the floor with Tony, Manu, or Patty, he’ll get it. He could be a real boon to that second unit with Patty (and as a Canadian, still fits into “The Foreign Legion”, just barely).

The other player who has been second or third best? Danny Green. He’s been so solid this season, even quietly spectacular at times. He is growing offensively, in both confidence and ability. He’s no longer just a 3-point shooter. But it’s on the defensive end where he has been even better. Blocks, steals, rebounds, drawn charges: he’s doing it all. He drew three charges on James Harden, which is almost impossible to do. He ended the game with 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals. Throw in those 3 offensive fouls (which are essentially TOs), and that’s 8 extra possessions for the team. He’s not quite the on-ball defender that Kawhi is, but he is a very good help and team defender, and when paired with Kawhi, they make for a fearsome defensive tandem.

(Do I have to mention who the most consistent player has been this season and for the last 17? Didn’t think so.)

It was ugly, but it was a win. With the month this team is having, that’s a wonderful thing.

The Spurs get a day off before heading to Memphis to face the Grizzlies yet again.

(Yes, this month does eventually end.)