San Antonio Spurs vs. Houston Rockets Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 6th 2024
Preview and Prediction
Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun is looking to continue his impressive performance as his team hosts the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday for their third matchup of the season.
Sengun had a slow start to the 2024-25 season, shooting only 37% and averaging 15.2 points over his first five games. However, he showed improvement in the Rockets' overtime loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting in just 21 minutes of play.
The young center carried this momentum into Monday's game against the New York Knicks, where he had a stellar performance. Sengun scored 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting, along with 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks.
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Before the game, Rockets coach Ime Udoka stressed the importance of utilizing Sengun in the post, where he had an advantage against the Knicks' big men. Udoka was pleased with Sengun's performance and praised his ability to impact the game on both ends of the court.
The Rockets' success this season may depend on their ability to determine their top offensive threat each night. Sengun and guard Jalen Green, both in their fourth seasons, are the likely candidates to share this responsibility. In their recent game against the Knicks, both players played a crucial role in helping the Rockets secure the win.
The Spurs are coming off a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, where they blew a 26-point lead. Despite this, interim coach Mitch Johnson, who is filling in for an ill Gregg Popovich, was pleased with the team's defensive potential shown in the first quarter.
San Antonio's young player Victor Wembanyama had a strong defensive performance with nine blocks, but his shooting struggles in recent games may raise concerns about how the team is utilizing his offensive skills.
Johnson acknowledged the difficulty for young players like Wembanyama to fully utilize their talents, but believes he will continue to improve with more experience.
The Spurs and Rockets have split their previous two matchups this season, with each team winning on their home court.
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San Antonio vs. Houston Recap FEB 6TH 2021
James Harden matched his career high with 61 points, delivering early and late to bail out the host Houston Rockets in their 111-105 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Friday at Toyota Center.
Harden, who also scored 61 points on Jan. 23. at Madison Square Garden against the New York Knicks, finished 19 of 34 from the floor while drilling 9 of 13 from 3-point range.
After the Rockets coughed up a 19-point third-quarter lead and fell into a 100-94 hole late in the fourth, Harden responded with three successive 3-pointers and a pair of drives to the basket to secure the victory, the Rockets' third consecutive win over the Spurs. San Antonio had won nine of the previous 10 head-to-head meetings entering the game.
Chris Paul added 18 points, including four free throws inside the final minute to seal the win. Eric Gordon added 12 points for Houston, but Harden was the showstopper, posting his second consecutive 50-point game and eighth on the season. No other NBA player has more than one.
Bryn Forbes led five Spurs in double figures with 20 points while Derrick White added 18 with eight rebounds. DeMar DeRozan posted 16 points, eight rebounds and eight assists while LaMarcus Aldridge paired 10 points with five blocks for San Antonio, which captured its first lead at 85-84 on a Patty Mills reverse layup with 10:48 left to play. The Spurs trailed 66-47 on a Paul pull-up jumper at the 10:55 mark of the third before igniting a comeback with a 9-0 spurt.
When Jakob Poeltl added the second of his two tip-ins just prior to the third-quarter buzzer, the Spurs pulled even at 81-81 entering the fourth. They appeared poised to earn a season-series split before Harden pulled victory out of the fire with yet another MVP-caliber effort.
Harden produced another otherworldly individual performance, tallying 27 first-quarter points on 7-of-10 shooting to pace the Rockets' 36-point period. He scored 10 of 13 points for Houston during one stretch midway through the period, and after assisting on an Iman Shumpert 3 for a 26-17 lead at the 4:12 mark, Harden recorded the final 10 points of the frame for the Rockets.