Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets – Game #22
Malaki Branham will likely start again for the Spurs (Photo via Twitter)
In a battle of two teams heading in opposite directions in the standings, the San Antonio Spurs travel to Houston to play the Rockets tonight. The Spurs are the not-so-proud owners of a 16-game losing streak, which is tied for the longest losing streak in franchise history. San Antonio hasn’t won a game since beating the Phoenix Suns twice in a row and now sit in last place in the Western Conference with a record of 3-18.
The Rockets, on the other hand, have a lot to be happy about. At 10-9, Houston is currently the 8th seed in the West. Winners of two straight games, the Rockets have actually won nine consecutive home games.
Last season, the Spurs and the Rockets were in the same boat. Both teams finished with a record of 22-60. However, after the Spurs won the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery and selected Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio decided to build around their young core. The Spurs now have the youngest team in the NBA — but wins haven’t been easy to find during Wembanyama’s rookie campaign.
Using a different strategy, the Rockets decided to load up on veteran players in the offseason. Their free agent signings included vets Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks and Jeff Green. Houston’s strategy, which included hiring former Spurs assistant coach Ime Udoka, has them in the race for a playoff spot.
Long-term, it’ll be interesting to see if San Antonio’s strategy works better or if Houston’s strategy ends up being the better road.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
For the third consecutive game, the Spurs have no injuries to report. That means we should have a pretty good idea of who head coach Gregg Popovich is planning to start.
Last game, Popovich started Malaki Branham, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan and Victor Wembanyama. Don’t be surprised if that’s the five players who start again for the Spurs. Then again, it’s also possible that San Antonio decides to put Zach Collins back in the starting lineup. Cedi Osman and Julian Champagnie have also started recent games for the Spurs.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Rockets
Vegas has the Rockets as 7.5 point favorites and the over/under at 223.5 points. The smart money tonight is on the under. The Spurs have really started to focus more on defense, while the Rockets are already one of the best defensive teams in the league. Expect tonight’s affair to be a relatively low scoring slugfest between in-state rivals.