Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs Game 2 Preview
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio
When: Wednesday, May 3, 2017, 9:30 PM ET
Line: Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: TNT
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Betting on the Houston Rockets
There wasn’t a speck of dust on the hardwood of AT&T Center Wednesday night with Houston mopping the floor using the Spurs in a 126-99 win in Game 1.
The demolition job started early for the Rockets, who were up by 30 points already at the half and never looked back. Houston made it rain from the outside, clobbering San Antonio with 22 three-pointers on 50 attempts. Going bonkers from beyond the arc has been Houston’s credo all season long and with the Rockets shooting dialed in in Game 1, expect James Harden and company to continue chucking threes.
Speaking of Harden, the MVP candidate had 20 points and dished out 14 assists. Trevor Ariza and Clint Capela had 23 and 20 points, respectively, while the pair of Eric Gordon and Lou Williams came off the bench and combined for 24 point and five threes.
Gordon and Williams are going to play critical roles for the Rockets, as they look to keep the offense humming when Harden takes a breather. Houston leads all playoff teams in bench scoring with 46.0 PPG.
Houston is 3-0 ATS in its last three road games.
Betting on the San Antonio Spurs
Gregg Popovich surely wasn’t in the mood to dole out another $5,000 tip in his dinner following Game 1’s debacle—that’s if he even managed to find the appetite to eat.
The Spurs had no answer to Houston’s offense. Houston penetrated the lane and kicked out to open shooters almost at will. Making it worse for San Antonio was the poor play from LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored just 4 points. He was seemingly incapable of defending Houston’s big men, finishing the game with a -36—the worst by any player in Game 1. Aldridge will have to do better in Game 2 on both sides of the floor, as the Spurs likely won’t survive a series in which a guy like Capela is averaging at least 20 points.
Kawhi Leonard led the team in Game 1 with 21 points on 5-for-14 shooting with 11 rebounds and six assists. As reflected on the score, Leonard’s efforts were put to waste. The Spurs could definitely bounce back offensively against a Rockets team that are allowing 103.3 PPG to opponents these playoffs but solving Houston’s three-point shooting is of much greater and more urgent issue for San Antonio.
Leonard was supposed to slow Harden down but Harden still dictated the Rockets’ offense with relative ease in Game 1. That will be a challenge for Leonard moving forward, as the Rockets, despite plenty of deadly scorers, will go as far as where Harden takes them.
Writer’s Prediction
Houston wins but the Spurs cover.
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