Preview: San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets – Game #62
Keldon Johnson and the Spurs will try to keep the good times rolling (Photo via Twitter)
The San Antonio Spurs will attempt to capture a third consecutive win on Tuesday night against the Houston Rockets. After a pair of home wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers, the Spurs will go on the road and hope for a similar result. On the season, San Antonio has a record of 13-48 — the third worst record in the league. The Rockets are 26-34, which has Houston in the 12th seed in the West — six games behind the tenth seed and a spot in the play-in tournament.
This is the third of four meetings between the Spurs and Rockets this season. The first two contests were close games. In the second game of the season, San Antonio got a 126-122 overtime victory. Then on Dec. 11, the Spurs lost on the road by a final count of 93-82.
Early on this season, the Rockets were one of the surprise teams in the league. However, they have fallen off lately. They have lost three of their last four games and the Rockets are only 3-9 in their last dozen games. Going back even further, Houston is 7-16 after starting the season 19-18.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
The big news out of San Antonio is the fact that Victor Wembanyama is being listed as questionable for tonight’s affair against the Rockets. Wembanyama hurt his shoulder during the fourth quarter in the victory over the Pacers. He was able to stay in the game but it was clearly bothering him. The rookie hasn’t missed a game since Jan. 19 and San Antonio is 0-6 in the six games he has missed this season.
Julian Champagnie, who missed the Pacers contest with a sprained ankle, is listed as questionable for Tuesday night’s game. Prior to his injury, Champagnie was starting at small forward for the Silver and Black.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
We know that head coach Gregg Popovich will start Tre Jones at point guard, Jeremy Sochan at power forward and Devin Vassell at shooting guard. If Victor Wembanyama can’t play, expect Zach Collins to start at center and for Dominick Barlow to get the backup center minutes. If Julian Champagnie misses a second consecutive contest, Malaki Branham will undoubtedly start again in his place.
Branham played really well in place of Champagnie, as he finished with 18 points and six assists (see the Grades).
Betting Guide: Spurs at Rockets
The Rockets are favored by 7.5 points and the over/under is 228 points. With Victor Wembanyama’s status up in the air, the smart money is on the under. If Wembanyama sits, the Spurs will very likely struggle to score the ball. Even if he plays, the Spurs and Rockets are likely to both have extra energy on the defensive end — as we saw in the last matchup between these two teams.