It’s Christmas Day and our Houston Rockets will be among the headliners for today’s slate of basketball games on national television.
This marks the first time the Rockets have ever played a game on Christmas Day at home.
That’s quite a feat because I thought we’d done something like that in year’s past.
So I could likely infer that although the Rockets fielded some great teams over the years, we weren’t necessarily box office as we are now.
But when you haveJames HardenandDwight Howardfeatured in your lineup, that’s just something that comes along with their persona.
The Rockets have a first date with the 25-5 San Antonio Spurs and they better not be late or else they’re going to get stood up with a loss.
The Spurs were able to acquire big manLaMarcus Aldridgein the off season, beefing up their lineup for years to come.
It’s amazing how this team is able to remain resilient, scout well and always seem to find the right players for their coveted continuity and desire to be the best.
They’re humming along like a well-tuned machine and it appears that nobody will be able to stop that momentum.
Because of this, the Rockets will need to play damn near flawless to beat this team tonight but I’m afraid that the 16.8 turnovers that they average — currently good for 3rd in the league — will bite them hard tonight.
But you never know what can transpire in a NBA game and we can only hope for the best as fans of our beloved team.
So who’s leading the charge for the Spurs?
Kawhi Leonardis the team’s leading scorer (21.0 PPG) and chief of steals (2.00 SPG). LaMarcus Aldridge is the top board-getter (8.8 RPG),Tony Parkeris in charge of the dimes (5.0 APG) andTim Duncanis still the team’s reigning shot-blocker (1.50 BPG).
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Let’s talk about what the Spurs do well.
There’s a lot that this team does well and that’s why they’ll continue to be favorites for the NBA Championship this year.
But what do they do?
They’re extremely well-balanced.The Spurs are the No. 1 team in the NBA as far as defensive efficiency, allowing a stingy92.9points per100possessions. The No. 2 team, the Boston Celtics is at97.7 per 100, almost a full five points less. They’re also 3rd in the league as far as offensive efficiency, scoring107.1points per100possessions. Nobody seems to do it better than the Spurs which should be no surprise.
They’re excellent at moving the ball around.The Spurs are 2nd in the league as far as assist ratio with an incredible 19.4 percent of their possessions ending with an assist.
Injuries:
Sam Dekkerhadback surgeryand is expected to miss about a couple more months.
There are no injuries to report for the San Antonio Spurs.
Sources: Jenny Dial Creech/Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle
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Three Things to Watch:
- Trevor ArizaVs. Kawhi Leonard
- Patrick Beverleyvs. Tony Parker
- Clint Capelavs. LaMarcus Aldridge
- (Bonus) Dwight Howard vs. Tim Duncan
Prediction:
110-102in aRockets’loss.
The Rockets are back at home to take on theSpursatToyota Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for7 p.m. CST.
The game will be televised onESPN/ROOT Sports Southwestand broadcast onSportsTalk 790 AM (KBME)andLa Ranchera 850 AM (KEYH) in Spanish.
Go Rockets!
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