Rockets vs Spurs Game preview

A top-five matchup in the west, right in the middle of an eventful NBA season thus far, is on tap.

The Rockets are finding form again after a rough stretch in early January, having a winning record in their last ten games for the first time since the end of December, but the familiar faces of Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun, both averaging over 20 points per game, have steadied the ship.

The Spurs are coming off a loss to the Pelicans, who are the worst team in the West. Back in late December, the Spurs were coming off three straight wins against the best team in the NBA, the OKC Thunder, with Victor Wembanyama on limited minutes.

Now the Spurs seem to be battling just to stay consistent.

After another injury to Wembanyama, keeping him out of another couple of games, the Spurs still looked great, so this down streak doesn't seem sustainable, but does Wembanyama mess up the flow of this Spurs team?

Well, this matchup was played about a week ago, with the Rockets coming out on top 111-106 in Houston.

The Rockets shot the lights out in that game, shooting 52% from the field and 37% from three, but that didn't stop the game from being close till the very end.

Julian Champagnie led the Spurs with 27 points in a weird scoring night for the entire San Antonio roster.

Other than Champagnie, the entire Spurs lineup shot below 50% from the field, including Wembanyama, who had a terrible shooting night, going 0-7 from three and 5-21 from the floor.

The Rockets usually win due to their top-five defense and ability to rebound, but in the last matchup, Houston shot the lights out while the Spurs narrowly won the rebound battle.

Their defense did hold up, but that was more about the Spurs' offense rather than the dominance of the Rockets' defense. If the Spurs can get any level of better production from their offense, this game won't only end in a Spurs win but a Spurs blowout.

The Rockets have the tallest starting lineup in the NBA, which gives them a great matchup against Wembanyama and the Spurs. Though they lost the rebound battle in their last game against the Spurs, their size should make it difficult for Wembanyama to get comfortable.

The location is switching from Houston to San Antonio, and the Spurs fans and crowd noise are in full effect to change the outcome of this game.

The Spurs will not shoot that badly again, especially at home. Wembanyama will find the holes in the Rockets' defense, allowing the Spurs to get better shots, which will lead to a Spurs wi,n and it will not be close.

Michael Fechter is a first-year journalism major. To contact him, please email maf6740@psu.edu