Houston @ San Antonio preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 12, 2018 ) San Antonio 93, Houston 109

The San Antonio Spurs are back up to fourth in the Western Conference thanks to LaMarcus Aldridge playing through some pain, but the race is far from over. The Houston Rockets, who visit the Spurs on Sunday, are much more secure in their position at No. 1 in the West and are still going strong with wins in 11 straight.

San Antonio is just a half-game ahead of Minnesota and Oklahoma City tied for fifth and one game clear of Utah and New Orleans tied for seventh after beating the Thunder 103-99 on Thursday to snap a two-game slide. The Spurs, who haven't missed the playoffs since 1997, are three games ahead of the ninth-place Clippers with six to play, including a visit to Los Angeles on Tuesday. The Rockets don't need any more wins after clinching the No. 1 spot but refuse to lose and recovered from a 21-point, second-half deficit to stun the Phoenix Suns in a 104-103 win on Friday. Houston is starting to rest players and didn't have Chris Paul or Eric Gordon available on Friday but leaned on its depth as Gerald Green buried the game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

ABOUT THE ROCKETS (62-14): The West is jumbled enough at the bottom that Houston could see one of seven different teams in the first round of the playoffs and making sure they are ready for a deep run into the spring is the top priority. MVP candidate James Harden and center Clint Capela got a day off during Thursday's 118-86 thrashing of the Chicago Bulls before Paul, Gordon and Nene took Friday off, though all could be available against San Antonio. The Rockets built plenty of depth on their roster with in-season additions like Green and Joe Johnson, who combined for 31 points on Friday, giving the starters a chance to take a breather down the stretch.

ABOUT THE SPURS (44-32): Aldridge suffered a knee injury in Tuesday's 116-106 loss at Washington and was questionable heading into Thursday but ended up playing 34 minutes and collecting 25 points and 11 rebounds in the win. "We need him to be there, even if he feels bad," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili told reporters of Aldridge. "He's become so important and we depend on him so much. It's great to see him compete like that, fight through the pain and have a great game." Ginobili is trying to do his part as well and scored 10 points in 15 minutes off the bench against the Thunder.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Rockets SF PJ Tucker went 5-of-7 from 3-point range on Friday after going 8-of-24 in the previous four contests.

2. Spurs SF Kyle Anderson is 19-of-27 from the floor over the last five games.

3. Houston took the first three meetings this season by an average of 14 points.

PREDICTION: Spurs 109, Rockets 106