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The Houston Rockets will host their inner state rival, the San Antonio Spurs, in their home arena, the Toyota Center, on Saturday night.
The Houston Rockets have surprised many with their play since trading away James Harden. They have won seven of their last eight games.
Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs were able to earn a comeback win in their last outing but will be playing in their first away game in over two weeks.
Match Details
Fixture: San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets | NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Saturday, February 6th, 8 PM ET
Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Houston Rockets Preview
The Houston Rockets were impressive in their previous win against the Memphis Grizzlies, without their recently signed All-Star, Victor Oladipo. The Rockets are now 8-4 since trading away the 2018 NBA MVP, James Harden, and have been getting production from every position on the court.
The Rockets had four starters score over 17 points and outscored the Grizzlies first-five 81-51. However, despite the victory, the Houston Rockets are leaving Memphis with huge concerns.
Their starting center, Christian Wood, had to head to the locker room early with an injured ankle. Wood is getting an MRI on Friday, but the Rockets are expecting him to be out for an extended period of time, as this is the second time in a span of less than three weeks Wood has suffered an injury to his right ankle.
Key Player - DeMarcus Cousin
With Christian Wood expected to be out for the game against the San Antonio Spurs, Demarcus Cousin will earn his fifth start of the season.
In Cousins' prior four starts with the Rockets this season, the team has a 3-1 record, and he has averaged 15.25 points and 14.25 rebounds.
If Cousins can produce another double-double against the San Antonio Spurs, the Houston Rockets will likely earn a victory, despite not having their first string Center.
Houston Rockets Predicted Lineup
G John Wall, G Victor Oladipo, F Jae'Sean Tate, F P.J. Tucker, C DeMarcus Cousins
San Antonio Spurs Preview
The San Antonio Spurs were able to rally back from a 16-point deficit to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 111-108 and avoid losing three consecutive games.
Here is what Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich had to say after his team's comeback win:
"They hung in. It shows a lot of good character. You get down. We lost the last two games. We haven’t played well. We got down again, but they kept plugging away, and that’s impressive to me."
The San Antonio Spurs outscored the Timberwolves by 14 points in the fourth quarter. They will be looking to replicate their final 12 minutes for a full 48 against the Houston Rockets.
Key Player - Jakob Poeltl
Jakob Poeltl has become more than a fill-in for LaMarcus Aldridge, who is out with a hip injury. Poeltl scored a season-high 19 points on 66.7% shooting against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The 25-year-old Center is leading the San Antonio Spurs in WAR, a plus-minus statistic that measures the number of points a player contributes to his team’s offense and defense per 100 possessions, via fivethirtyeight.com.
If Poeltl can maintain his efficiency on both sides of the court against the Houston Rockets and win his matchup over Demarcus Cousin, the San Antonio Spurs will likely come away with a win over their inner-state rival.
San Antonio Spurs Predicted Lineup
G Dejounte Murray, G Lonnie Walker IV, F DeMar DeRozan, F Keldon Johnson, C Jakob Poeltl
Spurs vs Rockets Match Prediction
Both teams will be fighting for a positive result on Saturday night, as they are hoping to earn a spot in the Western Conference playoffs. The Houston Rockets have more talent on paper, but without Christian Wood, the San Antonio Spurs will have the edge.
Expect DeMar Derozan and co. to leave Houston with a victory on Saturday night.
Where to watch Spurs vs Rockets
Local coverage of the game will be available on Fox Sports Southwest and AT&T SportsNet Southwest. You can also live stream the same via the NBA League Pass.
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