Rockets vs Spurs preview: Biggest game for the remainder of the season

Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images

The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are set to meet one last time on Apr 1. It will be Houston’s biggest remaining game of the season.

After narrowly escaping what would’ve been an embarrassing home loss to the tanking Suns, the Rockets have just six games remaining in the 2017-18 regular season.

Everyone always talks about the length of the NBA’s 82-game schedule, but after the All-Star break, the rest of the season just flies by.

On Apr. 1, the Rockets will take on the Spurs for the final time of the season. Houston is 3-0 this season against San Antonio, and it would be sweet for the Rockets to sweep a team that has dominated the Southwest division for so long.

The Rockets will face the Wizards, Blazers and Thunder at home after their matchup with San Antonio. Then, they’ll end the season on a two-game road trip against the Lakers and Kings. Washington, Portland and Oklahoma City are very talented teams, but the Spurs are the biggest test on Houston’s remaining schedule.

San Antonio is currently in the fourth seed, but they’re only one game ahead of the No. 8 spot. Furthermore, they’re just three games ahead of the ninth and tenth seeds. An untimely losing streak could put the Spurs right out of the postseason.

The Spurs have made the playoffs in every year since the 1996-97 season. This is a very prideful organization that expects to compete for titles every year, not watch the playoffs on TV.

The Spurs are also 30-8 at home, which is the second best home record in the western conference. San Antonio has always been a tough city to win in, and the Rockets should expect an all out effort from the Spurs.

Next: Recap of the great month of March for the Houston Rockets

With San Antonio’s back against the wall and their home crowd cheering them on, this game could turn into Houston’s most challenging matchup for the rest of the year. It’ll be important for the Rockets to come out and set the tone early in order to keep the win streak alive.

Injuries

For the Rockets, Chris Paul (sore left leg) and Nene (back) are questionable. If this were a postseason game, they would probably play, but the Rockets will be cautious with the No. 1 seed in the bag.

For San Antonio, Kawhi Leonard is out as he continues to rehab his quad injury.

Schedule