San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets: The Spurs must not let the Rockets take off

Both teams are full of young talent, but unlike the visitors, Gregg Popovich still has a chance to reach at least the play-in and therefore needs a home win tonight.

Although Spurs still have a chance to play in the postseason, their play since the new year has not been good at all, and in their seven games played, the San Antonio club has won just once.

Of course, we can say that all seven games were on the road, which has made all the difference. Popovich's men have also struggled at home this season: 17 games with seven wins and ten losses. It should be noted that the Spurs haven't lost two games in a row at home since November. And the last home game ended in a loss to Utah, so statistically, tonight should come as a win.

A young but completely unformed team, that's what Houston are right now. In November and early December, the bright flash of seven straight wins is behind them. And the outlook ahead is completely unclear.

In metrics, the Rockets are 28th out of 30 teams in the entire league. Only Detroit and Orlando are worse. The 42 two games have yielded 11 wins and 31 losses. After the new year, the team had one win but six defeats. Overall, the new year hasn't reset the situation much either.

The home team should not miss the victory today, despite the many problems in the roster. The main engine in Dejounte Murray is in place, and in the paint, Jakob Poeltl will also get his way. So it should be a productive game here, with San Antonio leading the way.

• Handicap 1 (-5.5) for 1.81;
• San Antonio to win by 11 points or more for 2.60;
• Dejounte Murray makes at least three three-pointers for 3.50.