AUSTIN, Texas — Although he understood the question, Dylan Harper wanted to clarify. As far as he was concerned, Kevin Durant returning to the capital of Texas came second.
"This is a home game for us, right?" he asked. "This is our home game. I mean, (we're) just focused on getting a win ... the biggest thing for this team is bouncing back."
The San Antonio Spurs guard wasn't discounting the significance of Durant's return to Austin and the University of Texas, where he spent his lone college season in 2007 being selected No. 1 overall by the Seattle Supersonics. But coming off a disappointing opening-night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harper had more pressing matters on his mind.
San Antonio will host Durant's Houston Rockets at Moody Center on Friday, marking its first of three games scheduled in Austin this season. Two more are slated for February.
It's a familiar trip for the Spurs, who have made annual visits to Austin since 2023, but this time, they're arriving amid what the city has deemed "the biggest weekend ever."
Between the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Sunday and Texas football hosting Ole Miss on Saturday, the city has plenty to celebrate. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, speaking after the team's arrival on Thursday, said he's happy to be part of it.
"It's a heckuva weekend for Austin," Johnson said, adding that the city has changed significantly since his time as an assistant coach with the then-Austin Toros of the then-NBA D-League. "It's a weekend that, hopefully, people locally, regionally, and ... globally are going to take a lot of attention and enthusiasm to. I think the city's ready for it."
The trip offers the Spurs another opportunity to connect with a fan base they've spent years cultivating. San Antonio has sold out every game it's played at Moody Center since the series began, and several players have come to consider Austin an extension of home.
"Austin is super cool," Wembanyama said on his third trip. "For me, San Antonio, they’re my people, but Austin, they’re my people, as well. They welcome us and show much love."
Harper, who helped unveil a refurbished basketball court in East Austin during the team's most recent visit, echoed Wembanyama's support for the expanded fan base.
"It's like home away from home," Harper said. "Even though we love San Antonio, just to hit another fan base that might not be able to travel ... to come see us is great. It just shows the love and support we have from Austin, San Antonio and everywhere else in Texas."
That support has been reciprocated. In February, the Spurs arrived in Austin riding a six-game win streak and left with two more victories over the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings. This time, they're hoping to avoid starting a different kind of streak.
San Antonio dropped its season opener 116-104 to Oklahoma City after struggling to establish an offensive rhythm. Wembanyama finished 1-for-13 from the field and the Spurs' new three-guard starting lineup showed flashes of promise, but only in the second half.
Johnson was keen on allowing his entire roster to shoulder the blame.
"We all participated in just not playing up to our standard," the coach said. "When you play someone with the class of OKC, they'll expose that pretty readily and consistently."
The Rockets, meanwhile, enter Friday's matchup 1-0. Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. scored 30 points apiece in Houston's 128-110 season-opening win over the Dallas Mavericks, giving the Spurs another early test against a Western Conference opponent.
For Harper, the answer to Tuesday's loss isn't complicated. The Spurs have already identified what went wrong. Now, they have to prove they can correct it.
"I feel like that's what we're best at," Harper said. "We understood what happened (on Tuesday vs. Oklahoma City). We understood why things went the other way. Now, we talked about it, game (planned) obviously, but now we have to execute it."
A victory on Friday would give the Spurs their first win of the new season and another reason to celebrate alongside the fans who've embraced them in Austin. But Harper believes the team's ability to respond to adversity extends beyond one game.
"The biggest thing is just being a resilient group," Harper said. "We all play for each other. We all play for the right reasons When you mix those two together, it's easy to bounce back."
The Spurs know that starts with beating Durant's Rockets at home, as Harper stressed. Then, they'll head north to face the Dallas Mavericks on the road one night later.
If they play their cards correctly, they may be due some state bragging rights.
"You're playing just to say, 'Look, we're the best team in Texas,'" Harper explained. "So, I mean, we're going to go out there, and I feel like we're going to prove that."
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