"Barely 30 seconds into the game, Samuel Dalembert, who had bounced around in warmups with a bit more purpose than usual in sort of a mind-over-matter move, swatted a Kawhi Leonard shot over the heads of the patrons seated in the expensive courtside seats at Toyota Center.

Yep, Dalembert had come to play.

Or rather to work.

His bulging left ankle, hurt when he landed awkwardly after a crucial put-back dunk late in an overtime victory over New Orleans on Thursday, gave him more than a legitimate excuse to sit this one out.

But that's not Dalembert's nature.

A mere ankle sprain wasn't going to keep him from punching in. His six blocked shots helped the Rockets punch out the San Antonio Spurs 105-102 on Saturday night.

Three of Dalembert's blocks came in the first few minutes of the game as the Rockets opened a 9-0 lead."