Houston Rockets (39-23, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. San Antonio Spurs (46-17, second in the Western Conference)
San Antonio; Sunday, 8 p.m. EDT
BOTTOM LINE: San Antonio heads into a matchup against Houston as winners of three consecutive games.
The Spurs have gone 10-3 against division opponents. San Antonio ranks seventh in the league allowing only 111.4 points per game while holding opponents to 45.0% shooting.
The Rockets are 6-5 against division opponents. Houston ranks third in the Western Conference shooting 36.9% from 3-point range.
The Spurs average 13.3 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.0 more made shot on average than the 12.3 per game the Rockets allow. The Rockets average 114.5 points per game, 3.1 more than the 111.4 the Spurs allow.
The teams play for the fourth time this season. The Spurs won the last matchup 111-99 on Jan. 29, with Victor Wembanyama scoring 28 points in the victory.
TOP PERFORMERS: Wembanyama is scoring 23.8 points per game with 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists for the Spurs. De’Aaron Fox is averaging 17.0 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 50.7% over the past 10 games.
Kevin Durant is scoring 26.1 points per game and averaging 5.5 rebounds for the Rockets. Reed Sheppard is averaging 4.2 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Spurs: 9-1, averaging 119.3 points, 46.6 rebounds, 30.7 assists, 7.7 steals and 7.3 blocks per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.2 points per game.
Rockets: 6-4, averaging 112.6 points, 46.5 rebounds, 25.1 assists, 8.2 steals and 6.6 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.1 points.
INJURIES: Spurs: David Jones Garcia: out for season (ankle), Harrison Barnes: out (ankle), Mason Plumlee: out (reconditioning).
Rockets: Jae’Sean Tate: out (knee), Jabari Smith Jr.: day to day (ankle), Fred VanVleet: out for season (acl), Steven Adams: out for season (ankle).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.