The Houston Rockets (52-14) look to extend an 11-game home winning streak when they take on the San Antonio Spurs (37-29) at Toyota Center. Action starts at 8 p.m. ET on Monday, March 12, 2018, and it can be seen on ESPN.
San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets Free Preview
The Spurs were beaten by the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last outing, 104-94. Rudy Gay put together a solid performance for San Antonio, leading the team in scoring with 14 points on 7-for-14 shooting. Oklahoma City had a much better free throw rate (0.186 vs. 0.047). San Antonio, on the other hand, had a better effective field goal percentage (0.523 vs. 0.512).
In the Rockets’ last game, they blew out the Dallas Mavericks, 105-82. Houston was led by Chris Paul, who contributed 24 points, 12 assists and five rebounds. The Rockets held the Mavericks to an effective field goal percentage of 0.378 (below their season average of 0.516). The Mavericks had a free throw rate of 0.117 (below their season average of 0.174).
The game should be a showdown of strength against strength as the prolific offense of Houston takes on the elite defense of San Antonio. The Rockets rank second in offensive efficiency, while the Spurs are third in defensive efficiency.
Of San Antonio’s 66 games, 35 have finished under the projected point total, while 34 of Houston’s 65 games have finished under the projected point total. The Rockets have the substantial advantage straight up (SU) (52-14 vs. 37-29) and a narrow edge against the spread (ATS) (34-30-1 vs. 32-30-4).
These two teams have met twice already this year, with the Rockets winning both. James Harden scored a game-high 28 points in the most recent game, in which the Rockets beat the Spurs 102-91, covering as 2.5-point favorites. He also had 11 assists. The two teams combined for 193 points, which was 15.5 points below the projected point total of 208.5 points. The Rockets’ 9.0 turnover percentage was their biggest advantage over the Spurs, who had a rate of 15.0.
San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets Odds Prediction
NBA Pick: SU Winner – Spurs, ATS Winner – Spurs, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Spurs rank fourth in blocks per game (5.5) while the Rockets rank 18th (4.6).
- Houston ranks 15th in fast break points per game (11.5) while San Antonio ranks 17th in fast break points allowed per game (12.0).
- Houston ranks second in rebounds allowed per game (41.2) while San Antonio ranks 11th (42.5).
- On the road, San Antonio is 15-17-3 ATS with 21 unders, 13 overs and 1 push.
- Houston is 12-18-1 ATS at home with 17 overs and 14 unders.
- When allowing under 100 points, Houston is 24-2 and San Antonio is 25-10.
- In games where they reach the century mark, the Spurs are 30-10 and the Rockets are 50-11.
- The Rockets rank sixth in points off turnovers per game (17.7) while the Spurs rank 10th in points off turnovers allowed per game (15.4).
- Houston ranks first in three pointers attempted per game (42.2) while San Antonio ranks 27th (24.3).
- The Rockets rank second in steals per game (8.7) while the Spurs rank 20th (7.4).
- San Antonio ranks 13th in points allowed in the paint per game (43.6) while Houston ranks 28th (48.0).
Bettings Trends:
- Houston is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, San Antonio is 1-4 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
- The Rockets’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 8.8, down from 8.9 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Spurs have scored an average of 105.8 points per game (3.5 above their season average) and allowed an average of 109.8 points per game (10.2 above their season average).
