Preview: San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets – Game #3
Jeremy Sochan and the Spurs play the Rockets again (Photo via X)
The San Antonio Spurs (1-1) will try to win their second straight game when they take on the Houston Rockets (1-2) tonight at the Frost Bank Center. The Spurs defeated the very same Rockets squad on Saturday night by a final score of 109-106.
In that game, the Spurs built a 22-point lead before the Rockets rallied in the second half. Led by Victor Wembanyama’s 28 points, seven rebounds and three blocks, San Antonio was able to hold on at the end of the game. In addition to Wembanyama, the Spurs got a number of quality performances from players like Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie, Zach Collins and rookie Stephon Castle.
San Antonio Spurs Injury Update
Devin Vassell remains out until at least the beginning of November following offseason foot surgery. Tre Jones will miss his second straight game after spraining his ankle during the season opening loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Jones is expected to miss a couple of weeks due to the ankle injury.
Houston Rockets Injury Update
Steven Adams is listed as questionable for tonight’s game in San Antonio. Prior to Saturday’s contest, Adams was also listed as questionable due to a knee injury and he was unable to play. If he is able to go, expect the Rockets to use Adams as their backup center.
Tari Eason was questionable before the last game but he was able to play and isn’t on the injury report this time around.
San Antonio Spurs Starting Lineup
Coming off of a win, there’s no reason for head coach Gregg Popovich to mess with his starting five. That means you can safely assume that Chris Paul will start at point guard, Julian Champagnie at shooting guard, Harrison Barnes at small forward, Jeremy Sochan at power forward and Victor Wembanyama at center.
Off the bench, Blake Wesley was the backup point guard in the first half, replacing the injured Jones. In the second half, Popovich primarily used Castle as the backup point guard. It’ll be interesting to see how the coaching staff plays it tonight.
Betting Guide: Spurs at Rockets
The Rockets are favored by three points and the over/under is 218.5 points. The smart money is on the over. The Rockets scored 65 points in the second half of Saturday’s game so they should have confidence coming into tonight’s affair. The Spurs also have room to improve their offensive showing — so bet on the over with confidence.