Rockets Clash with Spurs, as I-10 Showdown Begins
Slumping Rivals. Silver Linings. On the Road Again.
Jalen Green and the Rockets hit the road for their first showdown this season with their I-10 rivals, the San Antonio Spurs. Both teams are skidding closer towards official draft lottery contention. Houston is 2-13 in their last 15 games. The Spurs are 1-7 in their last 8 games. Something’s gotta give tonight, in this battle of slumping rivals. No matter how sloppy or incongruent the contest becomes, their will be a winner determined tonight in the Alamo City. The Rockets need to focus on containing San Antonio’s Dejounte Murray. The Spurs’ point guard is having a break-out season, posting All-Star caliber stats on a nightly basis. He’s by far San Antonio’s best player, and projected to be their point guard of the future. In the interior, Houston needs to keep bodies on Jakob Poeltl, who’s the type of scrappy player who could have a big game tonight against the Rockets if they’re not physical with the Spurs’ center.
We’re now officially into the second half of the season. Houston commenced this latter stage with a blowout loss to the Sixers on Monday night. The Rockets will try and find silver linings as we wind down to the final 40 games of the season. Houston’s playoff hopes are all but officially non-existent this season. The Rockets will definitely be back in the draft lottery, but that’s no reason to tank the final 40 games of the season away. If the squad keeps their current pace, Houston will lose the majority of their remaining matchups. The team;’s mindset should be: play hard, improve on the fly, and see if we can upset a few teams. We’ll see if the Rockets can start these final 40 games on a positive note.
Tonight’s game is the first of five straight on the road for Houston, all against Western Conference teams. After tonight, the Rockets will head further West to face the Kings twice in a row, followed by a pair of brutally tough matchups to close the trip, against the Jazz and Warriors respectively. It’s unlikely Houston pulls off an upset in the final pair of games on this trip. If the Rockets exert more energy and effort defensively, they have a shot against the struggling Spurs. In fact, tonight may be Houston’s best chance for a victory on this entire road trip… as they face their bitter in-state rivals for the first time all season.
AT&T Center: San Antonio, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (11-31): Red
San Antonio Spurs (15-25): White
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass