The Rockets were given a 3-day break before their next game against the Spurs. On the morning of January 26, Beijing time, the Rockets will return home to meet the Spurs. Although the Spurs now have a slightly better record than the Rockets, the Rockets recently won on the road to the Spurs, and the score was 128-124, and the Rockets narrowly won by 4 points. The Rockets' starting 5 Tigers scored all in double figures that game, and Gordon even contributed a team-high 31 points plus 3 assists and 3 rebounds, Green also had 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Porter Jr. contributed 18 points.
The reason why the Rockets were able to beat the Spurs in that game was mainly because Silas arranged the tactics very correctly, and the Rockets did not fight the Spurs to the inside, but used the outside shooter group to crush Popovich's team. The Rockets hit 16 of 36 three-pointers that game, shooting 44.4 percent. The Spurs hit one more three-pointer than the Rockets, but they used too many shots, shooting just 37 percent from three-point range.
Next, the Rockets played the Spurs again, Houston's advantage is great, not only has the "psychological advantage" of defeating the Spurs before, but also the Rockets are still at home, and the Rockets have also experienced a 3-day break, and the physical reserves are far more sufficient than the Spurs. Today, the Rockets also organized the whole team to train, coach Silas said that the Rockets mainly practiced shooting, and there will be more training the next day, after all, the game will start on the morning of the 26th.
That is to say, in Silas's eyes, the Rockets' outside shooting is very critical. In fact, whether it is the last victory over the Spurs, or the last two rockets to win the Jazz and the Warriors, the rocket team's three-point shot is the main skill to support the rocket team's firepower output, and the Spurs who do not have all-star players to press the team, the rocket team will naturally use the three-pointer this economical and affordable tactic to solve the visiting team.
In addition, the Rockets' 3 shooters have become the key to winning, how Gordon, who shot 31 points and 6 of 7 three-pointers in the last showdown, directly affects the victory or defeat of the Rockets, and the point guard Porter Jr., who is good at hitting key three-pointers, is also very important, in addition, the previous game against the Warriors, with two "4 points" technique to shock the four-seat shooter Garrison Matthews, is also the key point of the Rockets' firepower output.
In the next game, as long as the Rockets raise the three-point shooting rate and shoot more three-point shots, I believe that defeating the middle and lower Western teams like the Spurs will not be a problem. After all, the Rockets can play a super level of performance in the games against the Jazz and Warriors, proving that this team is actually not weak, just want to take the initiative to win. If the Rockets can beat the Spurs at home, Houston still retains a glimmer of hope for the playoffs qualifiers, after all, the Rockets are not far from the 10th place in the West, and the Rockets can theoretically fight the playoffs.