Spurs In Must Win Situation in Crowded West
Plenty is on the line when the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets square off Sunday afternoon at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. This Texas rivalry tips off at 3:30 pm EST. ABC will televise the game nationally.
Oddsmakers have the Rockets as 1.5-point favorites. The total is 207.5.
The Spurs are back up to fourth in the Western Conference. LaMarcus Aldridge has been playing through some pain to lead the team, but the race is far from over. The Rockets are much more secure in their position at No. 1 in the West. They are still going strong with wins in 11 straight.
San Antonio is just a half-game ahead of Minnesota and Oklahoma City. They are tied for fifth place. The Spurs are one game ahead of Utah and New Orleans, who are tied for seventh. The Spurs are three games ahead of the ninth-place Clippers with only six to play. San Antonio hasn't missed the playoffs since 1997.
The Rockets don't need any more wins after clinching the No. 1 spot. They refuse to lose and recovered from a 21-point, second-half deficit, to stun the Phoenix Suns in a 104-103 win on Friday. Houston is starting to rest players and didn't have Chris Paul or Eric Gordon available on Friday. They leaned on its depth. Gerald Green buried the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
The Rockets have clinched the NBA's best record and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Rockets Keep on Rolling as it Meets Spurs
Houston has taken the first three games of the season series by an average of 14 points. There would definitely be a sense of accomplishment in sweeping its longtime rival.
The Rockets don't need any more wins after clinching the No. 1 spot. They refuse to lose and recovered from a 21-point, second-half deficit, to stun the Phoenix Suns in a 104-103 win on Friday. Houston is starting to rest players and didn't have Chris Paul or Eric Gordon available on Friday. They leaned on its depth.
Gerald Green buried the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer. James Harden had 28 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in helping piece together the Rockets' second-largest comeback of the season.
It was Houston's 32nd win in its past 34 games. The Rockets are the first team since the 2010-11 Spurs to have three double-digit winning streaks in the same season. They have streaks of 17 and 14 consecutive games before the latest run.
Spurs Can't afford a Slip-up Down the Stretch
Four of San Antonio's last six games are against teams with winning records, so every win is a monster
Aldridge suffered a knee injury in Tuesday's 116-106 loss at Washington. He was questionable heading into Thursday but ended up playing 34 minutes and collecting 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Manu Ginobili is trying to do his part as well and scored 10 points in 15 minutes off the bench against the Thunder.
Spurs SF Kyle Anderson is 19-of-27 from the floor over the last five games.
Sunday's game is infinitely more important for the Spurs. San Antonio has little room for error. After the game against Houston today, just two home games remain.
The Spurs are 30-8 at home - the third-best mark in the league - but just 14-24 on the road.
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