It is a Lone Star State showdown on Thursday night as the Houston Rockets (3-6) take on the San Antonio Spurs (6-5). The Spurs will host this one from the AT&T Center, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 pm ET.
It has been a rough start to the season, but after Wednesday, the Rockets are hoping the best is yet to come. After asking for a trade and being disgruntled through the beginning of the season, James Harden was dealt by the Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets in a four-player deal.
The headliner coming back to the Rockets is Victor Oladipo from the Pacers, but it is unclear if he will play in this game.
While the Spurs may not be title contenders at this point, they are certainly showing signs of promise early in the season. They have now won four of their last five games, including a 112-102 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
In the win, Lonnie Walker led the way with 24 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
The Spurs are seven-point favorites in this contest, with the over/under set at 219.
By The Numbers
Offensively, these two have been pretty similar this season. The Rockets rank 16th in the NBA in scoring, averaging 111.3 points per game. The Spurs rank one spot behind at 17th, averaging 111.2 points per game.
Defensively, it is the Spurs who hold the slight edge. They rank 18th in scoring defense, allowing an average of 112.1 points per game. The Rockets come in 21st, allowing an average of 113.2 points per game.
New-Look Rockets Try To Find Consistency
After years of being among the best teams in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets seem to be in a state of rebuilding. Not only did they trade star Russell Westbrook this offseason, but they have now traded their best player in Harden.
After being beaten in back-to-back games by the Lakers, Harden flat out blasted the Rockets as not being a good team, and the team asked him to stay away until a trade was made. On Wednesday, that trade was made.
With Harden now gone, the most productive player on the team has been Christian Wood. He has averaged 22.6 points and 9.5 rebounds this season.
Newcomer John Wall has also played well, averaging 18.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists. With Eric Gordon, Demarcus Cousins, P.J. Tucker and now Oladipo, the Rockets still have enough to be competitive, albeit likely not a title contender.
Spurs Try To Keep Winning Ways Going
After finishing 32-39 and 11th in the Western Conference last season, the Spurs are trying to take steps towards being a threat in the West. At 6-5, they have gotten off to a decent start and will look to keep it going against their struggling in-state rival.
One of the keys to the Spurs’ success is their depth. They currently have seven players averaging in double digits, led by DeMar DeRozan. On the season, he is averaging 21.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and seven assists.
Others that have gotten off to solid starts include Dejounte Murray (16.2 points, seven rebounds, 5.3 assists), Patty Mills (15.2 points), LaMarcus Aldridge (15.1 points, 5.8 rebounds), Lonnie Walker IV (14.1 points), Keldon Johnson (13.5 points, 7.4 rebounds) and Rudy Gay (11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds).
Taking Spurs To Win
This game could unfold in one of two ways. On the one hand, the Rockets may feel a weight off their shoulders with Harden now gone and could come out and play some good ball.
On the other hand, it will likely take them some time for the new pieces to gel and adjust to life without the scoring output of Harden. For my money, I am betting on this scenario and envision the Spurs winning this one pretty handily, covering the spread.
