Rockets vs Spurs Picks and Predictions: Shorthanded San Antonio Can't Catch a Break

The San Antonio Spurs will have a realistic shot at ending their 11-game losing streak when they host the Houston Rockets tonight.

Houston is just 7-17 on the season and ranks second-last in the Western Conference. The only team it's ahead of is San Antonio, which has seen its record drop to 6-18 after this extended slump.

If the Spurs are going to break out of their losing streak, there’s no better time than tonight. We’ll take a look at if San Antonio can finally find a win tonight in our NBA picks and predictions for Rockets vs Spurs on December 8.

Rockets vs Spurs best odds

Rockets vs Spurs picks and predictions

The Spurs started this season with high hopes and jumped out to an early 5-2 record. Since that time, San Antonio has won just one of its last 17 and now owns the worst record in the Western Conference.

The only team close to the Spurs out west is Houston. The Rockets are just one game better at 7-17, with every other team in the conference at least three games ahead of Houston.

However, the Rockets have played better as of late, winning four of their last seven. And while that hardly counts as a hot streak, it does show improvement for a team that has struggled to put anything at all together earlier in the year.

Befitting their record, the Spurs have been bad at pretty much everything this season. They give up more points per game than any team in the NBA (121.3), allow teams to shoot a league-high 50.8% against them from the field, and have seen opponents hit nearly 40% of their three-point attempts, a figure that’s also worst.

The Spurs don’t score well either, putting up just 109.5 points per game. They’re also among the worst rebounding teams in the league, ranking 22nd overall in that category. In other words, San Antonio isn’t just getting beat, but losing in every facet of the game.

Meanwhile, the Rockets are a young team on the rise, albeit slowly. Twenty-year-old Jalen Green leads the team in scoring (21.6 ppg) in his second year in the league, while starters Kevin Porter Jr. (19.0 ppg), Alperen Sengun (14.9 ppg), and Jabari Smith Jr. (11.8 ppg) are all under the age of 22. None of these young players have hit the point of being fully consistent yet, but all four have displayed immense talent and the potential to become stars in the future.

Many have pointed to this game as a potential opportunity for the Spurs to get back into the win column. But even with three days rest since a 133-95 home loss to the Phoenix Suns, San Antonio will still be shorthanded. The Spurs will be without Jakob Poeltl yet again as he continues to rehab his knee, along with starting forward Jeremy Sochan. San Antonio may get reserves Doug McDermott and Josh Richardson back, but this team is already low on talent and depth and can’t win many games without two starters.

The pundits are right, this is San Antonio’s best chance to win a game in quite a while. However, the chances are still pretty slim, especially with the Rockets playing well. I’m taking Houston and laying the 1.5 points on the spread.

My best bet: Rockets -1.5 (-104 at Pinnacle)

Rockets vs Spurs spread analysis

Houston opened tonight’s game as a 2.5-point favorite. Money seems to have come in on the Spurs, however, as the most common line is now Rockets -1.5. 

San Antonio is just 9-15 against the spread this season and has mostly been losing in blowout fashion during its current losing streak. The closest game the Spurs have played during the slide was a five-point home loss to the Lakers on November 26, the second of two back-to-back single-digit losses to the L.A. 

Meanwhile, the Rockets have been finding ways to beat far better teams than San Antonio. Last Friday, Houston managed to topple the Suns in Phoenix. On Monday, the Rockets beat the 76ers 132-123 at home and also have recent wins over the Hawks and Thunder.

One bright spot for the Spurs could be the return of coach Gregg Popovich, who missed the last two games after a minor medical procedure. Popovich returned to practice on Wednesday and should be on the bench for San Antonio tonight.

That would matter if the Spurs had the talent to beat the Rockets. In this case, Houston is both better and playing well, while San Antonio is shorthanded and limping toward the worst record in the NBA. The Rockets are the pick here, and you can choose between the spread or taking slightly worse odds on the straight moneyline depending on how worried you are about this being a game that comes down to the final possession.

Rockets vs Spurs Over/Under analysis

Most books opened tonight’s total at 233.5. As of noon on Thursday, that number has dropped at least a couple of points, and you can find Over/Under main lines of 231 or even 230 at some sites. 

While neither of these teams has an explosive offense, both are truly terrible on defense. I’ve already broken down how the Spurs are last in the NBA in most defensive categories, but the Rockets aren’t much better. They allow 117.2 points per game and watch opponents shoot 48.4% from the field, both of which rank 27th in the league. 

The Spurs have played four of their last five games under 231 points, while Houston has bounced between coming in above or below that number on almost a nightly basis. The biggest problem in handicapping an Over/Under pick for tonight’s game is just how inconsistent these squads have been this season.

Both teams will have opportunities to score tonight, though San Antonio’s injury issues will make it more difficult for the Spurs to take full advantage of Houston’s defensive woes. Because there are factors that point in both directions, I’m not planning on betting the total tonight, though my instinct is to back the Under.

Rockets vs Spurs betting trend to know

The Spurs are 1-10 ATS in their last 11 games. Find more NBA betting trends for Rockets vs. Spurs.

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