Tonight’s game represents a heated rivalry between two teams that have struggled early on. Last year, the Spurs lost in the first round in 5 games to the Warriors while the Rockets reached the Western Conference Finals, losing in seven games to the eventual champions. Houston travels to San Antonio on a four game losing streak, including losses to some of the NBA’s worst teams. Houston’s dynamic duo of James Harden and Chris Paul provide the offense, with Harden scoring 31.1 PPG while Paul is averaging 17.9 PPG and 7.7 APG.
November 29th, 2018 | 7:00 CT
Watch: ESPN/KENS 5 | Listen: WOAI
Spurs (10-11) vs Rockets (9-11)
Injury Report
San Antonio Spurs
Dejounte Murray (ACL), Pau Gasol (stress fracture in foot)
Houston Rockets
Chris Paul (hamstring), Gerald Green (ankle), Nene Hilario (right calf sprain), Zhou Qi (left ankle sprain)
Houston promises to bring a fast paced, up tempo offense under head coach Mike D’Antoni. The Rockets are averaging 108.2 PPG and have already taken 839 three-point shots this season. Defensively, Houston hasn’t been as good, allowing over 110 PPG, which explains why their record is not that great.
San Antonio has lost 9 of their last 13 games before tonight’s matchup including a woeful 128-89 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday. DeMar DeRozan has been spectacular, but he hasn’t had a lot of help. After receiving MVP votes last season, LaMarcus Aldridge has regressed this season. Aldridge is averaging 17.7 PPG and 10.8 RPG, but he has been inefficient. The Spurs are averaging 108.6 PPG and are allowing 110.9 PPG, which is pretty similar to Houston’s numbers.
For a prediction tonight, there should be no shortage of offense between these two bitter rivals. In what promises to be a run-and-gun game, the major question is where is where will San Antonio find some offense after DeMar DeRozan. LaMarcus Aldridge will draw a tough matchup with Clint Capela, so this doesn’t seem like the right night for him to get back on track. James Harden should have a huge night scoring the basketball, and with the Spurs struggling to find a second option offensively, Houston will outscore San Antonio in a good ole fashioned Texas shootout.
Vegas Odds: Spurs by 1.5
Game prediction: Rockets by 7
For a Rocket fan’s perspective, visit TheDreamShake.com.
PtR’s Gamethread will be up this afternoon for those who want to chat through the game. You can also follow along with the action through PtR’s Twitter feed.