Rockets flaw proves fatal in heartbreaking loss to Spurs

The Houston Rockets lost to the Spurs in a devastating NBA Emirates Cup opener. A flaw that many felt would be fatal was on full display:

The Rockets didn't have a point guard, and it showed.

They turned the ball over a whopping 23 times. Granted, that was only three more times than the Spurs:

But it was an advantage the Rockets needed.

Rockets must protect the rock to win

After all, they'll seldom win the three-point volume game.

The Rockets shot well from deep in this contest. They hit 48.1% of their threes, but they only attempted 27 of them. The Spurs went 18/45 from deep - good for 40.0%, and a much better shooting night considering volume.

That's fine. The Rockets can win games without winning the numbers game from beyond the arc, but they need to win the possession battle. When you turn the ball over 23 times, that's unlikely to happen.

Especially when they only grabbed one more rebound (41) than the Spurs (40). Last year, the game plan was simple. Sure, the Rockets would get outshot, but they'd generate so many more possessions than their opponent that it wouldn't matter. In Fred VanVleet's absence, that's been difficult.

Last night, Kevin Durant shouldered a significant ball-handling load. It didn't work. The legendary forward turned the ball over a gruesome 8 times. The Spurs double-teamed and full-court pressured Durant all night, and it worked.

Is that why the Rockets lost this contest?

Rockets failed on multiple fronts against the Spurs

It's a large part of the reason.

The Rockets also leaned too heavily into their 2-3 zone defense. It's a fine scheme situationally, but it can't be the sole game plan.

Some have speculated that the strategy was intended to protect Reed Sheppard. It's a plausible theory. Sheppard had arguably his best game of the season with 16 points (including 4/7 shooting from deep) and 6 assists with just one turnover. He was also one of two Rockets (Clint Capela) with a positive +/- (8).

So, it's hard to put this loss on Sheppard. Still, it's equally hard to deny that he looked small on the defensive end. Plus/minus stats can be misleading. If the Rockets did overcommit to the zone to offset Sheppard's deficiencies, the numbers won't easily capture that. For those who watched the game. Alperen Sengun slammed his hands on the floor when Sheppard gave up a backdoor cut to Stephon Castle, and it was understandable.

Ultimately, this is just one loss. It will inevitably happen throughout the year. The Rockets may need to adjust their defensive scheme, but if they can't mitigate their turnovers:

Well, it will inevitably happen a lot more often.