Two of the projected best teams in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets (5-1) and San Antonio Spurs (3-2), square off at the AT&T Center on Friday, Oct. 21 as the 2016-2017 NBA Preseason Games come to a close.
Start Time and Streaming Info
The game starts at 8:30 p.m. ET. It can be viewed live online thru the NBA League Pass.
Preview
Houston is looking good so far with new head coach Mike D'Antoni at the helm. The former Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers head honcho has been making magic with James Harden and the man they call "the Beard" is thriving as the only main man in the roster right now.
Last season, rumored rifts with fellow All-Star Dwight Howard had been surfacing and re-surfacing. With the mercurial big man now with the Atlanta Hawks, Harden is free to make the Rockets whatever he wants them to be.
Harden has shown he can lead the team to wins, at least in the preseason, that is.
With five wins in six games, the Rockets are considered as one of the playoff contenders this upcoming season despite having only one superstar in Harden.
The additions of Ryan Anderson, Nene, and Eric Gordon this summer have actually strengthened the team's bench despite Howard's exit. Anderson and Gordon are expected to improve the team's three-point shooting percentage and will help create more space for Harden to do his thing in the offensive end.
Meanwhile, the Spurs remain to be one of the best teams in the NBA even with the retirement of living legend Tim Duncan.
Despite being 39 years old, Duncan has proven last season that he is still a key performer for head coach Gregg Popovich's band. However, all good things must come to an end.
Presumed to fill-in his role is LaMarcus Aldridge, who is currently mentioned in trade rumors as "unhappy" in playing as sidekick to Kawhi Leonard in the Spurs pecking order.
It is also speculated that the Spurs will trade him in midseason if he does not reach Duncan-level expectations, but the five-time All-Star recently said that he is not buying into the rumors and revealed that Coach Popovich has been praising him every day.
Still, it is interesting to see how San Antonio will fare this season without Duncan.
Prediction
Another win for the Rockets as Popovich rests his starters for the highly-anticipated regular season-opener against the Golden State Warriors next week.
