The San Antonio Spurs (51-26) will attempt to keep their seven-game winning streak alive when they meet the Houston Rockets (53-24) at the AT&T Center. Action begins at 8:30 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 8 and can be seen on ROOT-SW and FSN-SW.
The Spurs played well in their last game, topping the Warriors 107-92 on Sunday. Kawhi Leonard was the game’s leading scorer with 26 points on 11-for-17 shooting. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 115-112 win against the Thunder on Sunday. James Harden was the game’s top scorer, registering 41 points on 12-for-22 shooting.
Leonard has taken his game to another level over the last five games for the Spurs. During that stretch, he has averaged 20.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 3.0 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 1.4 three-pointers.
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Spurs had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 110-106 win. Danny Green had a standout performance in the victory, putting up 24 points, four rebounds, three assists, five steals, and three three-pointers.
The odds for San Antonio and Houston are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently not available. The Spurs come into this game 51-26 Straight Up (SU) and 39-36-2 Against The Spread (ATS). Over their last 10 games, they have had success covering the spread (9-1). The Spurs have no trouble scoring as they rank second in the league in home offense with 107.4 points per game. The Spurs are one of the best in the NBA in terms of free throw percentage, shooting an impressive .780 from the free throw line. San Antonio’s defense has been on fire lately, allowing an average of 89.8 points per game, well under their season average of 97.0. San Antonio will look to take advantage of the Rockets and their propensity to foul. Houston ranks 28th in the league in fouls, averaging 22.2 per game.
Over on the other bench, the Rockets have 53-24 SU and 45-32 ATS records. Against fellow division members, Houston has a 7-6 SU and ATS record. Teams with weak ball handling have not fared well against the Rockets, who rank second in the league with 9.6 steals per game. Houston is the third-best team in the league at scoring points off turnovers with 19.0 per game.
In their previous meeting this season, San Antonio beat Houston, but the win was not enough for them to overtake Houston in the recent head-to-head series. Its record is now 4-6 SU over the most recent 10 meetings. With a 7-3 record, the Rockets also have the advantage ATS. Houston held the advantage in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers twice in the last 10 matchups. On the other side of the court, San Antonio never accomplished this feat in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
San Antonio ranks ninth in points per game with 102.9, while Houston ranks 17th in points allowed with an average of 100.4 given up.
Houston ranks fourth in points allowed per road game (103.1 PPG), while San Antonio ranks second in points per home game with 107.4.
The Houston Rockets won their last game by a three-point margin. In games decided by a margin of three points or less, the San Antonio Spurs are 5-7. Houston is 8-3 in close games this season.
The Houston Rockets have a superb 33-4 record when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The San Antonio Spurs are 15-18 when they score less than 100.
Houston is a split 20-20 in contests where it gives up at least 100 points. San Antonio is an exceptional 36-8 when it puts up triple digits.
The Spurs have a defensive rating of 99.5, second-best in the NBA. The Rockets also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 103.7 (ranked 12th).
San Antonio has an average field goal percentage of 46.5% (ranked fourth). Houston is a subpar 6-18 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The San Antonio Spurs average 22.8 three point attempts per game, and the Houston Rockets attempt 33.1 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; San Antonio is 17-10 and Houston is 51-23.
San Antonio has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.81 this season (ranked sixth), while Houston ranks lower at 27th with an A/TO of 1.39.
San Antonio is ranked 27th when it comes to offensive rebounding. Houston ranks 21st in defensive rebounds.
Houston averages 9.6 steals per game (ranked second). San Antonio is 17-14 when allowing at least 9 steals.
