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NBA Odds – San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets

Zack Garrison

by Zack Garrison in News

Updated Jan 17, 2018 · 9:40 AM PST

San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets (-3, 202.5 o/u)

In one of the best NBA games of the week, the reigning champs San Antonio (2-1) land in Houston tonight to take on the Rockets (5-0) at the Toyota Center (8:30 p.m. Eastern).

Houston is one of the few teams to get the better of San Antonio in their recent head-to-head. In the last ten meetings, the Rockets lead the series 6-4. It’s even more lopsided over the last five games, which have all gone to the Rockets.  The Spurs last win was back on December 28, 2012.

While Tim Duncan is the face of the franchise, San Antonio’s success is predicated on a true team game, with Tony Parker, Kawhi Leonard, and Manu Ginobili all providing pieces to the puzzle. Indeed, the Spurs had six players score in double-figures last year and no one had more than 17 points per game. With basically the same team on the floor, this year, coach Gregg Popovich will likely keep his game plan the same.

Through the Spurs first two games, Parker led the team with 21.0 PPG and 4.5 APG, while Duncan spearheaded the defense, pulling in 11.0 RPG and adding two blocks. The aging Ginobili looked good coming off the bench, with 11.0 PPG and 4.0 APG.

On the other side, the Rockets have played amazing basketball to start the season and their record reflects that. At 5-0, the Rockets are one of three undefeateds left in the league. (Golden State and Memphis are the others.) Shooting guard James Harden and center Dwight Howard top most of the team’s statistical categories, as expected. Harden leads in points (27.8 PPG), assists (6.8 APG), and steals (1.5 SPG) while Howard has dominated the glass (10.8 RPG) and protected the rim (2.3 BPG).

The Rockets are three-point favorites at home and the over/under is at 202.5 points.

(Photo credit: Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA (Tim Duncan) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)

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