Is it really possible to be 24-5 and completely overlooked? It feels as if no one is talking about the San Antonio Spurs at this point in the year even though they have been mowing teams down left and right with the same sort of ferocity of Golden State. The world will get a good look at Gregg Popovich's side on Christmas Day when the Spurs head up the road to take on the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
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SCHEDULING
The Spurs have absolutely kicked the snot out of teams at home this year, and five of their six games on this win/cover streak have come at home. However, they're merely very good at 8-5 ATS on the road this season, and they've shown some weakness at times. A Wednesday night roadie in Minneapolis followed by a day off to get to Houston isn't the toughest stretch of the season, but it isn't the easiest either.
The Rockets, who have won three games in a row to get back above .500, are in a similar spot. They play a similar road game in Orlando on Wednesday night before having to get back home to Houston for this Friday nighter.
INJURIES
There really isn't a heck of a lot to report on the injury front. Keep an eye on Ty Lawson to see how he plays on Wednesday night in Orlando. The Rockets put a lot of stock in him at the start of the year to be their point guard, but for the most part, he's been a brutal disappointment and has completely fallen out of favor. Lawson has just wrapped up his suspension for getting booked for a DUI last week.
Aside from that, both of these teams are perfectly healthy coming into Christmas.
KEY MATCHUP
Clint Capela has taken a lot of steps forward this year, and he's not only rounding into a solid option at power forward for the Rockets, but he's also made Donatas Motiejunas a relative non-factor. However, in this game, he's going to be up against one of the best power forwards in the game in LaMarcus Aldridge.
It wouldn't be fair to ask Capela to manage this cover by himself, so Dwight Howard and Trevor Ariza will inevitably try their hand as well. However, Aldridge has excelled this year at 15.5 points and 8.8 boards per game. He isn't doing nearly as much now as he did with the Blazers in the past, but there isn't that pressure on him to dominate with arguably the best team in the NBA around him.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
The Rockets might have three straight victories to their name, and they might pick up a fourth against the Magic, but that's where this all stops.
Yes, San Antonio has been a little vulnerable on the road this year, losing to comparable teams like Toronto in recent memory, but when you've got the defensive tenacity of the Spurs, you're able to send a lot of home crowds home unhappy.
James Harden could go off for 50 in this game and will the Rockets to victory, but in all likelihood, he'll be held in the 30s or so, and that just won't be good enough. If Popovich can figure out how to either slow down Harden or completely neutralize just about everyone else on the court, this game could quickly turn into a walk in the park for the Spurs.
San Antonio 106, Houston 92
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