Houston at San Antonio
Time: 7:30 PM (CT), NBA TV
Spread: EVEN
Total: 210.5

Odds c/o 5dimes

The Houston Rockets fell 80-98 to the Oklahoma City Thunder, who were playing without Russell Westbrook. It snapped a three game win streak for the Rockets, who now head to San Antonio to face Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs. The line is set EVEN according to NBA oddsmakers at 5dimes, and the game will air at 7:30 CST Saturday on NBA TV. The over/under is set at 210.5 points according to 5dimes.

HOU

James Harden and Chris Paul both struggled in last night’s loss to the Thunder. The pair combined to shoot just 11 of 30 while managing 29 points between them. Houston shot just 37.8 percent from the floor a team and got just 15 points from its bench. Clint Capela was about the lone bright spot, as the center went 8 of 12 from the floor en route to 17 points, seven rebounds and three assists. But Capela was -12 for his 34 minutes on the court, and all of Houston’s starters posted a negative differential.

Meanwhile, OKC got double-figure scoring from all five of its starters, paced by Paul George’s 20 points and +35 mark for his 35 minutes of court time. The Rockets trailed by 10 points after the first quarter, as OKC set the tone at home and kept it strong. Houston only outscored OKC in the final quarter, 20-18, meaningless as that final quarter was.

Even so, Houston is just 4-6 this season. It has gone 4-2 on the road, and one must expect that things improve, but the Rockets have not been a good basketball team this season.

SAN ANT

San Antonio is 6-4 and in first place in the Southwest Division, even with its rag-tag cast. DeMar DeRozan replaced Kawhi Leonard this summer as the headlining talent for the Spurs, and he seems to be fitting into the Gregg Popovich mold just fine. DeRozan is averaging 26.4 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.8 assists while posting a PER of 24.9. LaMarcus Aldridge has been consistent and good, tallying 18.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. And Rudy Gay is still a solid and versatile swingman. It is after this top-3 that the Spurs become a collection of, well, not household names.

Byrn Forbes, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills all average double-figure points, but the rest of the bench is comprised of a lot of castaways, castaways that only Popovich seems to know how to get the best out of. Pau Gasol seems to be on his last legs averaging just 17.4 minutes per night, but Davis Betrans and Dante Cunningham were not thought to be much.

They are both valuable contributors for Pop, humble though their statistical contributions are. San Antonio will find a way to stay above .500 this season, but how far above .500 is really anyone’s guess. The Spurs are a solid team with a legendary coach and given Houston’s struggles that might just be enough on its home court. Harden and Paul have had their respective struggles, and Carmelo Anthony only makes Houston worse on defense.

ATS TRENDS

OU TRENDS

HEAD TO HEAD