The gist: The Rockets welcome a tough February with their fourth tussle with the Spurs against whom they are 2-1 in the season series. San Antonio is coming off an 83-73 win against Memphis while the Rockets fell in Rick Adelman’s return to Toyota Center, 120-108.
Key matchup: Kevin Martin vs Kawhi Leonard
The Rockets need to chase all the Spurs’ swingmen, as evidenced by Michael Beasley’s 34-point attack last night (which included 12 trips to the charity stripe.) Martin will be expected to outperform Leonard scoring-wise but he cannot afford to be a slouch defensively.
X-factor: Courtney Lee
Danny Green has strung together a couple of games off the bench as a spark plug, posting 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 steals. Lee will be expected to close out on Green from outside and Leonard from doing his damage from midrange.
Code Red: The Spurs (13-9) continue to stay dominant at home, having only lost once at AT&T Center the entire season. Ginobili remains out and will continue to be so until sometime next month. T.J. Ford will also be a no-show tonight. It must be reiterated: the Rockets cannot give up 42 points in a quarter.
