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Rockets open crucial five-game road trip vs. Spurs

Mar 30, 2008 - 12:59 PM Houston (49-23) at San Antonio (50-23) 1:00 pm EDT

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- The Houston Rockets begin a crucial five-game Western Conference road trip on Sunday against the cross-state rival San Antonio Spurs.

The Rockets currently own fifth place in the Western Conference but are just one-half game behind the Spurs and the New Orleans Hornets (49-22) for the top spot in the West as well as the Southwest Division.

The Hornets are just percentage points ahead of the Spurs for the No. 1 seed.

Coach Rick Adelman knows how important the next five games are in the standings.

"I'm hoping that the guys can see the challenge ahead of us and, if we can win on this trip, it is really going to solidify ourselves not just playoffs-wise, but maybe where you end up with the seeding," Adelman said.

Houston kept pace with the top two teams on Wednesday, picking up its second consecutive win with a 97-86 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tracy McGrady had 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Rockets to their third win in the last four games.

McGrady, who is averaging 22.0 points over his last five games, needs to continue his strong play during the road trip to keep the Rockets in position for a top seed in the West.

The 28-year-old is averaging almost 26.0 points on the road this season but has averaged just 10.0 points in two meetings against the Spurs.

San Antonio enters Sunday's matchup after completing a six-game win streak with a 99-84 victory over the Timberwolves on Friday. Manu Ginobili scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Spurs to the win after coming off the bench.