We aren’t even into December yet, but Friday night will be the last trip of the 2018-19 season to rival San Antonio for the Houston Rockets. The clubs still play twice more after Friday but both in Houston. The Spurs will be NBA odds favorites for this national TV matchup that likely won’t include Chris Paul.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 10 points, adding nine boards, two assists and two turnovers in 25 minutes. Aldridge played just 6.9 minutes in the second half to limit him to his fewest minutes this month. Jakob Poeltl scored a season-high 14 points with eight rebounds and one block in 21 minutes.
Pau Gasol (right foot) is recovering from a stress fracture, according to Popovich. Gasol hasn’t played since Nov. 4 and the Spurs won’t rush their 38-year-old center back at less than 100%. First-round rookie Lonnie Walker (right knee) said he expects to make his regular-season debut “very soon.”
“It feels like I am back to Lonnie Walker,” Walker said. “Just continue to find my rhythm and everything. But day by day, it is nothing but improvement. Every day, I can see a significant difference in my leg and just how I play overall.”
The Spurs have dealt with injuries to seven different players, combining for 69 total games missed through the season’s opening 20-plus games.
How to Bet Rockets vs Spurs NBA Betting Odds & Game Info
.@JHarden13 talked to the media after a tough loss to the Mavs.
🎥⤵️ pic.twitter.com/WkSQUFkLA0 — Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) 29 de noviembre de 2018
- When: Friday, 8 PM ET
- Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: WatchESPN
- Radio: TuneIn
- NBA Betting Odds: TBA
Recent Head to Head (Lat 10 Games)
- Record: Spurs lead 6-4
- Score: Rockets 100.20/ Spurs 104.10
- Field Goal Percentage: Rockets 41.65 / Spurs 46.97
- Rebounds: Rockets 42.00 / Spurs 46.00
- 3 Point Shots: Rockets 132-412 / Spurs 84-242
- Steals: Rockets 7.90 / Spurs 6.80
Season Series
San Antonio won the first meeting 96-89 at home on Nov. 10. The Spurs limited Houston to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor. LaMarcus Aldridge posted a double-double with 27 points (10-21 FG, 7-8 FT) and 10 boards to lead the Spurs. Derrick White posted a career-best eight assists to go along with 14 points and four rebounds. James Harden led the Rockets with 25 points (7-27 FG, 1-13 3FG, 10-13 FT), but shot just 25.9 percent from the floor and 7.7 percent from behind the arc. Eric Gordon scored 23 points off the bench for Houston, adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. The game saw 14 lead changes before San Antonio pulled away for good over the final eight minutes of the game. The Rockets won the 2017-18 season series 3-1 after losing the previous three series 3-1.Why Bet on Houston?
The Rockets have followed a five-game winning streak with their second four-game skid of the year. They lost shockingly bad at home to Dallas on Wednesday, 128-108. The Mavs had dropped their last eight regular-season games against the Rockets. James Harden matched his career-high 17 assists during the loss, adding 25 points, 11 rebounds, six steals, eight turnovers, and four 3-pointers in 37 minutes., Harden joined Magic Johnson as the only players to get at least 25 points, 11 rebounds, 17 assists, and six steals since steals became an official stat in 73-74. Eric Gordon made 6-of-15 from the field for 17 points with one rebound, three assists, two blocks, and three 3-pointer. James Ennis scored 18 points. Over the past eight games, he’s averaging 11.6 points on 56.7% shooting after averaging 6.3 ppg on 39.2% shooting his first nine games played. and Danuel House a season-high 18. Chris Paul (hamstring), Gerald Green (ankle) and Nene (calf) are questionable to play Friday. None played on Wednesday. Friday’s game will be the first of a back-to-back set, and an away game, so don’t expect Paul to play at a minimum. Players tend to like to come back from injuries with preferable matchups, so Saturday’s home game against the Bulls could be a possibility. If Paul is out again, Gordon will earn another start. Green has sat out the past two games, which has allowed House to get into the rotation. Nene hasn’t played yet this season so the fact he’s questionable is decent news. The Rockets are 9-11 overall this season. They picked up the 11th loss in Game #38 last season (27-11 mark). Houston is 8-4 when Harden and Paul play together this season and 1-7 when they don’t (1-2 without Harden; 0-5 without Paul). The Rockets are 3-7 in the first game following a loss this season (10-6 in 2017-18).Why Bet on San Antonio?
San Antonio has won 11 of the past 16 meetings in this series, but three of its losses came last season. Since winning two straight in S.A. from 11/30-12/25/13, Rockets have lost 7 of the past 9 there. The Spurs are off an ugly 128-89 loss at Minnesota on Wednesday to complete a four-game trip. Minnesota had dropped 14 of its last 15 against San Antonio, but it held the Spurs to 39.5 percent shooting. Minnesota led by as many as 48 before settling for its largest margin of victory against San Antonio in team history. The Timberwolves limited the Spurs to nine second-quarter points in the 15th single-digit defensive quarter in team history. The 39-point loss was the Spurs’ 3rd-worst loss under Gregg Popovich (since 1996-97). San Antonio’s 48-point deficit tied for their largest deficit under Popovich.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 10 points, adding nine boards, two assists and two turnovers in 25 minutes. Aldridge played just 6.9 minutes in the second half to limit him to his fewest minutes this month. Jakob Poeltl scored a season-high 14 points with eight rebounds and one block in 21 minutes.
Pau Gasol (right foot) is recovering from a stress fracture, according to Popovich. Gasol hasn’t played since Nov. 4 and the Spurs won’t rush their 38-year-old center back at less than 100%. First-round rookie Lonnie Walker (right knee) said he expects to make his regular-season debut “very soon.”
“It feels like I am back to Lonnie Walker,” Walker said. “Just continue to find my rhythm and everything. But day by day, it is nothing but improvement. Every day, I can see a significant difference in my leg and just how I play overall.”
The Spurs have dealt with injuries to seven different players, combining for 69 total games missed through the season’s opening 20-plus games.
Rockets vs Spurts NBA Betting Trends
- Under is 4-0 in the last 4 meetings
- Favorite is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings
- Home team is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings
- Houston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games
- Houston is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of Houston’s last 5 games
- San Antonio is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games
- San Antonio is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games
- The total has gone OVER in 5 of San Antonio’s last 6 games
