San Antonio Spurs (2-2) @ Houston Rockets (6-0)
San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich ruffled a few more feathers in the NBA with his team selection, leaving Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili out after playing considerable minutes in the previous game. They faced tough opposition in the Houston Rockets, who are undefeated this season, and have beat the Spurs in their past five meetings. Dwight Howard ruled the game in the first half, starting his night by shooting 8-11 from the floor. While his offensive game flourished, the Spurs struggled, shooting just 25% from the field in the first half, meaning they only had 29 points as they entered the locker room. These woes continued in the third as Houston dominated again, opening the gap to 71-55 after three quarters of action. The Rockets may have lost the last quarter but it didn’t matter as they kept their unbeaten run intact.
Spurs 81 - 98 Rockets
KEY PERFORMERS
Aron Baynes - 12 points, 12 rebounds
Cory Joseph - 18 points, 9-11 shooting
Dwight Howard - 32 points, 16 points
James Harden - 20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
Dallas Mavericks (3-2) @ Portland Trail Blazers (3-2)
The Trail Blazers’ defence was the pivotal factor in this game, as they managed to keep Dallas’ star man - Dirk Nowitzki - quiet. The German was only able to score two points in the second half, with his side scoring just 37 points in the last two quarters. The game was close at the half - the score being 50-46 in Dallas’ favour - but the third quarter is when the damage was done. The game wasn’t really close again after Portland won the third 35-18, and they opened up an 88-70 lead soon after. Portland’s bench is another area of their team that is often criticised, but they put in a solid effort in this game. Led by Chris Kaman and Steve Blake, they outscored Dallas’ bench 42-35.
Mavericks 87 - 108 Trail Blazers
KEY PERFORMERS
Dirk Nowitzki - 16 points
Nicolas Batum - 8 points, 9 rebounds, 9 assists
LaMarcus Aldridge - 20 points, 7 rebounds
Robin Lopez - 8 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
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