San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets Preview
Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
When: Tuesday, December 20, 2016, 8:00 PM ET
Line: San Antonio Spurs (+1) vs. Houston Rockets (-1); total: 214.5 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: NBATV
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Betting on the San Antonio Spurs (+1)
The Spurs fittingly took down the visiting Pelicans on Sunday night, 113-100, before officially hanging up Tim Duncan’s No. 21 jersey up into the rafters.
They won that game in a very Spurs-like fashion with six different players scoring in double digits, including a season-best 17 points from the savvy veteran Manu Ginobili, who came off the bench and played 18 efficient minutes.
LaMarcus Aldridge led an offense that drained 42 buckets off of 31 assists and one that shot close to 50 percent from the field with a game-high 22 points, 10 of which came from a perfect night (10-of-10) at the charity stripe.
Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, meanwhile, pitched in 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Spurs, who have won their last four games (4-0 ATS). They’ll look to extend that to five games against a red-hot Houston team on the road, where they boast a league-leading 14-1 record (9-5-1 ATS).
Betting on the Houston Rockets (-1)
Houston is the hottest team in the NBA right now, as the Rockets have yet to lose through 10 games (7-3 ATS) this month. And during that impressive stretch, the Rockets’ offense has scored 102 or more points in every game under the consistent guidance of their superstar and converted point guard James Harden, who continues to lead the league in assists (11.8) and ranks fifth overall in scoring (27.7).
The Rockets’ run is in serious jeopardy tonight against the visiting Spurs. Both teams already met twice last November, which resulted in a split. Harden averaged 24.5 points and 14.0 assists in those meetings, but evidently struggled with his stroke (43.2 FG%) against San Antonio’s defense.
Ryan Anderson (13.5 PPG), Eric Gordon (17.5 PPG) and Trevor Ariza (12.7 PPG), all of whom are contributing double figures in points this season, will really need to step up and contribute offensively, especially if Harden is held in check later.
Those three are key reasons why the Rockets have found so much success from the three-point line, where they are collectively shooting nearly 40 percent and are gathering a league-high 44.7 points per game.
The Rockets defense, however, is bound to be extra vulnerable with the absence of center Clint Capela, who’s expected to sit out for four to six weeks with a left leg injury.
Writer’s Prediction
Spurs (+1) win it, 106-101.
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