PREMIUM
Rogers' 10* TOTAL DOMINATION >>> 8-3 Start to May!
(NBA) Houston vs. San Antonio,
Total: 215.00 | -108.00 Over
Result: Loss
Total: 215.00 | -108.00 Over
Result: Loss
The set-up: Expecting that the Rockets would severely test the Spurs in this series was not a stretch but few could have predicted Houston's stunning 126-99 beat down of the Spurs in Game 1 on Monday. The third-seeded Rockets were up by 30 at the half and were never threatened in the 27-point win. "You have to play like a champion, and that's what we did - that's just one day," Houston head coach Mike D'Antoni told reporters. "We need to repeat this three more times." The Spurs shot just 36.9 percent in Game 1 and had no answers on the defensive end. "We really have to step up, and it's hard to pinpoint something because we got outplayed in just about everything," San Antonio veteran guard Manu Ginobili told reporters. "We were not ready or attentive, and they were inspired - they played great."
Houston: Harden had 20 points (modest but he was not needed) along with 14 assists. More importantly, Houston's frontcourt delivered in a way it hadn't in dispatching OKC 4-1. Ariza had 23 points, after he had averaged just 6.2 points in the five-game first-round series against the Thunder. Cent Clint Capela added 20 & 13 and Anderson 14. Anderson made four 3-pointers in Game 1 after being just 3-for-24 in the series against OKC. Houston launched 50 three-point shots, making 22.
San Antonio: Kawhi Leonard was just 5-of-14 shooting while registering 21 points and 11 rebounds in the opener, his worst game of teh 2017 postseason. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge was inept, with just four points on 2-of-7 shooting. PG Tony Parker was unable to follow up his strong effort (27 points on 11-of-14 shooting) in the closeout win over the Memphis Grizzlies and had just 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting. As I've noted this postseason, the Spurs rely way more on Leonard than most people realize. This is not a typical San Antonio team of the recent past.
The pick: Still, the Spurs have a legacy and there is no better head coach than Popovich. What the Spurs still can do is play defense and that's the way they can get back in the series. Therefore, the Game 2 play is a 10* on the Under.
Houston: Harden had 20 points (modest but he was not needed) along with 14 assists. More importantly, Houston's frontcourt delivered in a way it hadn't in dispatching OKC 4-1. Ariza had 23 points, after he had averaged just 6.2 points in the five-game first-round series against the Thunder. Cent Clint Capela added 20 & 13 and Anderson 14. Anderson made four 3-pointers in Game 1 after being just 3-for-24 in the series against OKC. Houston launched 50 three-point shots, making 22.
San Antonio: Kawhi Leonard was just 5-of-14 shooting while registering 21 points and 11 rebounds in the opener, his worst game of teh 2017 postseason. Power forward LaMarcus Aldridge was inept, with just four points on 2-of-7 shooting. PG Tony Parker was unable to follow up his strong effort (27 points on 11-of-14 shooting) in the closeout win over the Memphis Grizzlies and had just 11 points on 3-of-9 shooting. As I've noted this postseason, the Spurs rely way more on Leonard than most people realize. This is not a typical San Antonio team of the recent past.
The pick: Still, the Spurs have a legacy and there is no better head coach than Popovich. What the Spurs still can do is play defense and that's the way they can get back in the series. Therefore, the Game 2 play is a 10* on the Under.
