Two of the NBA's hottest teams, both in the thick of the playoff picture in the NBA's Western Conference, will go head-to-head on Friday night when the Houston Rockets host the San Antonio Spurs.
Entering the evening, only three games separate the sixth-seeded Spurs from the third-seeded Rockets in the standings, and San Antonio will certainly be looking to make up some ground. The meeting between the two teams is the fourth and final of the regular season, although there's a chance that the teams will face off in the playoffs. The Rockets have won two of the previous three meetings on the season, so they will have a chance to win the season series with a victory on Friday night, while the Spurs can force a tie with a win.
How to watch Spurs at Rockets
- Date: Friday, March 22
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Toyota Center -- Houston, Texas
- TV: NBA League Pass
- Streaming: fuboTV (try it free)
- Live stats: GameTracker
- Odds: Rockets -6
Odds and analysis
Check Sportsline's NBA pick sheet for all your daily odds.
Storylines
Spurs: The Spurs have been one of the hottest teams in the entire NBA over the month of March, as they have won nine out of their last 10 games. Thanks to that hot streak, they were able to climb up to a tie for fifth in the West entering Friday night. They appear to be playing their best basketball at the right time with the playoffs rapidly approaching, so the remainder of the regular season will be about maintaining their current high level of play, and improving their playoff positioning as much as possible.
Rockets: Like the Spurs, the Rockets have been playing some very good ball, and have won eight out of their last 10 games. After a slow start to the season due to a variety of injury issues, Houston has climbed all the way up to third in the West, and appears to be as legitimate of a threat to the defending champion Warriors as there is in the conference. Now, they just need to get out of the regular season and into the playoffs as healthy as possible.
Game prediction, pick
This one is a tough pick, as both teams have been on fire during the month of March. However, two factors work in the Rockets' favor in this one. First, the game is in Houston, not San Antonio. While the Spurs are a great home team, they are well under .500 (13-22) on the road on the season. Since the Rockets are 26-10 at home, the location works in their favor. Additionally, they have James Harden, and the Spurs don't. While that sounds simplistic, Harden has been virtually unstoppable offensively all season, and if the game gets close, the Rockets can rely on him to get the job done, while the Spurs just don't have a player quite at that level.
