Amen Thompson Blocks Victor Wembanyama at the Buzzer as the Rockets Beat the Spurs 114-110 in Austin: The Fantasy Read

The Houston Rockets beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-110 on Friday night at the Moody Center in Austin, and the final play said a lot about both teams. With less than a second left and the Spurs trying to tie the game, Amen Thompson blocked Victor Wembanyama's layup attempt, and Fred VanVleet iced it with two free throws. Houston is 2-0. San Antonio, a 5.5-point favorite in the game, is 0-2.

For fantasy managers, the headline is that Wembanyama looked like himself again after a brutal opener, while Thompson delivered the kind of all-around line that makes him one of the most valuable non-stars in category leagues.

Wembanyama's bounce-back

Wembanyama shot 1-of-13 in the season-opening loss to Oklahoma City, which set off a wave of overreaction. Friday's game should calm most of it. He finished with 25 points on 9-of-21 shooting, including 2-of-6 from three, along with 13 rebounds and two blocks.

The efficiency was not ideal, but the volume and the defensive numbers were there. Asked afterward whether he would change anything about the final play, he said he would have dunked it, which tells you how close San Antonio came to forcing overtime.

For fantasy, Wembanyama remains a first-round player. Two games is not enough to draw any conclusion about his shooting, and his blocks and rebounds give him a high floor even on nights the shot is not falling. Managers who were nervous after the opener should not sell.

Amen Thompson's complete game

Thompson finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, and he made the play of the night on defense. That line is a perfect example of why he is so valuable in category leagues: he contributes in every defensive stat while also scoring and rebounding.

Thompson signed a five-year extension with Houston before the season, and his role in the offense has grown every year. He is a strong start every night and a player managers in head-to-head category leagues should be happy to build around.

Sengun and Durant lead the Rockets offense

Alperen Sengun led Houston with 29 points and seven rebounds while shooting 50 percent from the floor. He is the hub of the Houston offense, and in fantasy he remains one of the best big men for points, rebounds and assists.

Kevin Durant, playing in the arena of his old college program, added 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. He also hit the biggest shot of the game before the final play, a three-pointer with 1:34 left. Durant remains a reliable scorer, and his assist numbers in the Houston offense give him a little more category value than in past seasons.

The table below summarizes the top fantasy lines from the game.

VanVleet's minutes and the Houston rotation

Fred VanVleet closed the game at the line, and his role matters for fantasy more than his box score suggests. Ime Udoka said before the season that VanVleet would not face a minutes restriction, which makes him a steady source of threes and assists in a lineup where Sengun, Durant and Thompson take most of the shots. He is a solid mid-round guard in category leagues, and his late-game role makes him a regular part of the closing lineup.

What San Antonio's 0-2 start means

The Spurs came into the season with high expectations, with win totals near the top of the league. An 0-2 start, with losses to Oklahoma City and Houston, is not a crisis, but it shows how competitive the West will be.

The Spurs also showed resilience. They erased an 11-point Houston lead before the final sequence and had a chance to tie on the last possession. That is not the profile of a team in trouble, just one that has opened against two of the best teams in the conference.

For fantasy, the Spurs' supporting cast matters most in deeper leagues. Wembanyama's usage will remain very high, and the shooting around him will determine how efficient he can be.

Betting angle

San Antonio has been a favorite in both games and lost both, which may lead to a small market correction. That can create value on the Spurs in the coming games, since the underlying team quality has not changed much in two close losses. Houston, on the other hand, won this one as an underdog to reach 2-0, and the market may start to price the Rockets more aggressively.

Wembanyama's player props are worth watching. After a 1-of-13 game, some books may have lowered his scoring lines, while the rebound and block numbers are steadier. For the model's view of upcoming games, check the NBA predictions page.

What to do in your league

Hold Wembanyama with full confidence. His bounce-back game showed the floor, and the ceiling is still the highest in fantasy. Start Thompson every night, and consider him a buy-high candidate in category leagues if his manager values him only on points. Sengun and Durant remain strong starts.

The Rockets look like one of the deepest teams in the league, and that depth may limit the ceiling of their secondary players. But the core four are all fantasy starters, and the 2-0 start suggests this could be a big season in Houston.