Danny Green scores 24, Spurs nip Rockets
The Houston Rockets turned it over on 24 possessions and only totaled 20 assists in a disappointing performance in which they lost by a slim margin to the San Antonio Spurs, 110-106. San Antonio (19-13) has won just three of its last 10 games.
Danny Green put up 24 points on 6-13 shooting from the field (3-9 from behind the arc) and 9-10 from the free throw line. He also tallied three assists. Other top contributors for San Antonio included Tim Duncan with 16 points and eight rebounds, and Cory Joseph with 14 points and six rebounds. James Harden had another strong performance for Houston despite the loss, scoring 28 points on 10-18 shooting (3-6 on 3-point attempts), in addition to going 5-6 from the free throw line.
In a battle of strength against strength, the offense of San Antonio was able to have success against a defense for Houston that is fifth-best in the league in forcing misses (47.2% opponents' eFG%), finishing with an eFG% of 53.6%. The Rockets dished out 20 assists versus 24 turnovers, a ratio of just .83. They are 5-2 on the season when committing more errors than assists in a game. The Spurs, on the other hand, are 2-1 when forcing opponents beneath 1.00 in assist-to-turnover ratio.
This drops Houston (21-8) to 1-1 versus San Antonio on the season.
Coming up, the Spurs play the Memphis Grizzlies, who are 22-8 on the season. The Rockets match up against the Washington Wizards, currently sitting at 21-8 this year. The Spurs are 1-1 versus Memphis this season.
