Big time divisional matchup on Sunday night. We've got the Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets facing off against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Two teams from Texas going toe to toe on Sunday night. I'm excited, let's jump straight into this one.
Things are heating up in Houston and not in a good way. The Rockets sit third in the Western Conference but just 1.5-games separate them and the sixth place Los Angeles Lakers. They are 9-6 over their L15 games but their offense has been struggling. In that 15-game span, Houston ranks 25th in points per game (110.0) and 28th in turnovers per game (16.9).
In these 15 games, Houston's giving up 21.5 points per game off of turnovers (29th) and they've struggled to keep teams off the offensive glass; giving up 17.2 second chance points per game.
Houston's still been great this year and will compete for home court advantage in the playoffs. The problem is sometimes it feels like they depend on a 37-year old Kevin Durant just a little too much. Durant's averaging 36.7 minutes per game this year, 26.1 points per game and he's shooting 50.9% from the field.
Outside of Durant, the Rockets lack any consistent secondary scorer and it's why at times when Durant struggles; so does the entire team. A
The UFO has Landed
Victor Webanyama is not of this world. He's playing just 29.1 minutes per game but he's averaging 23.8 points, 11.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. The Spurs are 46-17 on the year, 2nd in the Western Conference and have won 14 of their last 15 games.
The Spurs are tied with the Celtics for the most wins since the start of 2026 (22). The team's averaging 116.3 points per game in that time frame and they've got a top two defense in the NBA. At the core of all of that, is Victor Wembanyama.
San Antonio is first in the Southwest Division, they've won 10 of their 13 divisional games and they average 119.5 points per game in these games. They perform exceptionally well against their own division and even better at home. The team's averaging 119.2 points per game at home and their shooting percentage jumps nearly 3-points to 49.2%.
The Spurs are looking to make noise in the playoffs and no one wants it more than Wemby.
Lots has been said about Jabari Smith Jr. over the last few weeks and his last game might have been one of the worst. Smith shot 0/8 against the Warriors, finished the game as a -14 and they lost by just two. It was an ugly game and Smith's shooting woes have been a constant issue this year.
Smith's averaging 15.9 points per game this year and 6.9 rebounds. He's cleared this line in 12 of his last 20 without Steven Adams in the lineup and in five of his last seven against the Spurs overall.
The one thing Jabari does well is rebound the ball and after a shooting night like he had the other day, I'm expecting him to crash the glass. The Spurs are a top five rebounding team and the Rockets can't afford to give up second chance points against this Spurs front court. They'll need all hands on deck and that means Jabari should see north of 30 minutes tonight.
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