Rockets Visit Spurs in Another Chapter of I-10 Rivalry
Three You Again. Start of Seven. Closing the Gap.
On Friday night, Houston squares off against the San Antonio Spurs for the third time in as many weeks. The Rockets took the first matchup in San Antonio on January 12th, 128-124. Twelve days ago, the Spurs prevailed victorious in part 2, smashing Houston by 30 points, 134-104, at Toyota Center. Tonight’s Round 3 between these instate-rivals is being held in the Alamo City, where the Spurs are coming off a loss to the Miami Heat last night. The Rockets cruise into San Antonio after snapping an 11-game home losing streak with a win over the Cavaliers on Wednesday. San Antonio’s best player, Dejounte Murray, has missed two of the past three games for the Spurs, and is questionable for tonight’s matchup. Obviously Murray’s presence (or lack thereof) will make a big difference in the third round of this rivalry. It shouldn’t matter to the Rockets, who’ve already beaten the Spurs in San Antonio, on a night when arguably Murray had the best game of his career. Houston needs to focus on keeping their turnover rate low, and ensuring they come out with a lot of defensive energy against the Spurs. The road team has won both of the previous contests, and the Rockets will aim to keep that trend alive tonight. Houston better be prepared. Since the last time these teams faced off, the Spurs have had an immensely tough five-game schedule against the top-five teams in the NBA: Phoenix, Golden State, Memphis, Chicago, and Miami. San Antonio will be relieved to see a weaker opponent on the schedule tonight. The Rockets need to blast off from the opening tip and punch the Spurs in the mouth. If they grab a big lead like they did against Cleveland, Houston should be able to put San Antonio away.
Tonight’s game marks the first of seven remaining before the All-Star Break, which starts for the Rockets after their game on Februrary 17th. Houston enters the break with four extremely tough matchups. Before then, they’ll see these Spurs, and the Pelicans twice. It’s a chance for the Rockets to get a couple of wins before a grueling schedule meets Houston as they enter the All-Star break. The Rockets have shown they can beat the Spurs in San Antonio. However, Houston also lost to the Spurs by 30 points less than two weeks ago at Toyota Center. Effort is the key coming into tonight’s contest. Whichever team plays harder, and smarter, will prevail as the victor. Zach Collins, who last played for the Portland Trail Blazers in the bubble back in 2020, is expected to make his San Antonio debut for the Spurs tonight. Collins likely won’t play many minutes and shouldn’t be a big factor in tonight’s game, but when healthy he’s shown glimpses of promising talent.
Houston still sits in last place in the Western Conference. The Spurs are in 12th place, but with a win tonight, the Rockets can move to within one game of San Antonio in the loss column. Houston still has a puncher’s chance to sneak into the play-in tournament, but it’s still a long-shot. Games like tonight are ones the Rockets need to win if they seriously want to sneak into the playoffs. This young Houston squad is likely a few years away from postseason action, but they’re growing and improving with each game. After tonight, the Rockets return home to face the Pelicans on Sunday. It’s a short one-game road-trip for Houston, and part three in the I-10 rivalry… maybe the third time will be the charm for the Rockets, and result in another win in the Alamo City.
AT&T Center: San Antonio, Texas
Jersey Colors:
Houston Rockets (15-36): Red
San Antonio Spurs (19-34): White “City Edition”
Tip-Off: 7:30 PM CT
TV: AT&T Sportsnet SW, NBA League Pass