The Texas State rivalry is back in action for the third time this season. With the series tied at 1-1 so far, Jeremy Sochan wanted to add fuel to the fire ahead of the Spurs – Rockets game at Toyota Center tonight.
The Polish-American forward has been a catalyst in reigniting the decades-old rivalry and even though he is suffering from a fractured thumb, Sochan made sure to stoke the flames some more.
“Man’s good! Spurs are playing, let’s go! Still **** Houston…” the third-year player wrote on ‘X’.
Sochan sustained the thumb injury during the Spurs’ Monday night loss against the Clippers. The 21-year-old ran into a screen near the Clips bench. The second quarter play led to a fracture in his proximal phalanx and though there isn’t a timeline for return yet, Sochan is set to undergo surgery this week.
Sochan has stood firmly against the Rockets over the last two weeks, firing the first shot before game 1 of the regular season series. The NBA had scheduled the Texan rivals to play three games in two weeks with the opener of their series coming in San Antonio on October 27th.
Ahead of Houston’s visit, Sochan commented “
it is what it is” about the frequent encounters with the Rockets before
adding “
F*** Houston.” The Baylor standout would walk the talk too, dropping 17 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to help his Spurs secure a 109-106 win.
Two nights later, San Antonio and Houston matched up at Frost Bank Center again, and it was Jalen Green who had the last laugh. The shooting guard scored 36 points to lead the Rockets to a 106-101 victory. It wasn’t due to a lack of effort from Sochan though. He recorded a team-high 22 points, providing 4 assists and 9 rebounds in the loss.
Games 1 and 2 had also seen Sochan chirp with Jabari Smith Jr. and Dillon Brooks as Brooks further villainized himself by intensely trying to
snatch the ball from Victor Wembanyama in between possessions.
With the series tied at one game apiece, game three had all the makings of a highly competitive affair. And if Sochan had been in the lineup tonight, the Spurs would likely be in a better position. Unfortunately for them, they would lose 127-100 Houston.
The rivalry between Houston and San Antonio is still far from the heyday of David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon. But last year, we saw an intense battle of bigs between Wemby and Alperen Sengun as the Turkish forward would drop 45 points on the rookie during their third matchup of the season.
After tonight, the final game of the series will be played in Houston on February 27th. With Jeremy Sochan set to return long before the new year, we can expect a more fiery contest than we witnessed tonight.
