SAN ANTONIO -- Conversations regarding chemistry typically involve teams working to coalesce offensively.
But the San Antonio Spurs learned in a 101-99 loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday about the combustibility that accompanies the lack of harmony on defense.
"We gave up 63 in the first half and 38 points in the second half," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's what we've been doing here at home: play a quarter or two of defense and a quarter or two of no defense. The consistency, in that regard, has not been good."
Neither have the results, as the Spurs have allowed 60 points or more in the first half in back-to-back outings, marking the first time that has happened since April 1997, Popovich's first season at the helm before the franchise drafted Tim Duncan, according to research from ESPN Stats & Information. For a team that lost only one home game all of last season on the way to a franchise-record 67 victories, the Spurs have now dropped three in a row at home for the first time since Dec. 12-19, 2014.
Interestingly, prior to the loss against the Rockets, the team had suffered only one three-game losing streak at home over the past seven seasons. Every other team in the NBA endured at least three home losing streaks of three games or more during that span, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
"[It's] just discipline. It's a new group, and in a lot of ways, a younger group," said Spurs power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, who finished with 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting and missed a last-second tip-in attempt that could have sent the game into overtime. "No excuses, but it's a younger group. I think with younger teams and younger guys, it's about being consistent. Last year, I thought it clicked better because there were a bunch of older guys who had been there, who understand the game. It's gonna take time. But guys have to just learn to be consistent and try to learn from our mistakes out there."
The Spurs surrendered 73 points in the first half of a 116-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, and followed up the generosity by allowing the Rockets to light them up for 63 points over the first two quarters, thanks in part to Sam Dekker's 26-footer as time expired going into intermission.
In addition to scoring 14 points, James Harden dished nine of his game-high 15 assists over the first two quarters as Houston took advantage of Aldridge and veteran Pau Gasol on the pick and roll. Houston's bench outscored the San Antonio reserves 30-23.
In the first quarter alone the Rockets racked up 33 points, outscoring San Antonio 16-4 in the paint.
Popovich admitted the Spurs are still "trying to figure out who we want to have on the court, and who should be together," adding that "the effort is there, and the willingness is there. So over time, making things more habitual and more organized will help us."
Multiple players agreed, saying most of San Antonio's problems stem from issues of communication given all the new faces, and the fact point guard Tony Parker has been in and out of the lineup while starting shooting guard Danny Green missed the team's first seven games due to a quadriceps strain before making his debut against the Rockets. The club held out Parker on Wednesday, and the expectation is he'll play Saturday when San Antonio travels to Houston.
Another player chalked up the team's issues to a combination of errors in communication and the team not deploying the best combinations of personnel as the staff continues to work through all the kinks of a roster containing six new players, including four rotational contributors.
"We gave up a lot of points in that first quarter, especially the first half," Green said. "We've got to do a better job of not getting into holes. It's hard to bleed out. If we played like we did in the third and fourth throughout the whole game, it would help us a ton without exerting so much energy."
Despite the team's losing effort, Kawhi Leonard became the third player in Spurs history to put together at least six 25-point outings within the first eight games, joining Hall of Famers George Gervin and David Robinson, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.
Leonard scored a game-high 34 points on 11-of-26 from the floor, while contributing a steal and a pair of blocks on defense. Leonard missed a short floater in the lane that would have tied the score and sent the game into overtime, while Aldridge missed the mark on the ensuing tip-in try.
Leonard said the team's defensive problems boiled down to "just knowing our switches. They got easy back doors off of some slips and some easy layups. We just have to get better. I have to get better. We've just got to keep moving forward."
Looking ahead given the team's current three-game skid, the Spurs haven't lost four straight home games since Jan. 19-31, 2002; the only four-game home losing streak of the Duncan era. San Antonio hosts the Detroit Pistons on Friday; a team that hasn't captured a road victory all season.
"[It's about] just making sure that we're competing on the defensive end, that we're in right spots on offense," Leonard said. "[It's] not at all [difficult to keep composure]. This is my sixth year. We've had stretches where we played badly before. You always can turn it around."
