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Rockets try to gain ground on Spurs in the West

Mar 14, 2009 - 5:35 AM By Dan Pieringer Stats Writer

San Antonio (43-21) at Houston (43-24) 8:30 p.m. EST

HOUSTON (Ticker) -- The San Antonio Spurs fell short in their last outing against the only team ahead of them in the Western Conference standings. They hope to fare better against the team right behind them.

The Spurs look to tighten their hold on the Southwest Division lead and second place in the West when they visit the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

San Antonio (43-21) had a three-game winning streak snapped with a 102-95 loss to the conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night. Tony Parker and Michael Finley scored 25 points apiece and the Spurs shot 52.1 percent as a team, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 35-17 deficit at the end of the first quarter.

"We couldn't get anything done offensively, and defensively they made every shot (early)," Parker said. "After that we were in a big hole, and against the Lakers it's tough to come back."

The Spurs will try to avoid another slow start against the Rockets (43-24), who have won 12 of 15 to pull within 1 1/2 games of San Antonio.

Houston bounced back from its own loss to Los Angeles by taking a 91-86 win at Charlotte on Friday night. Yao Ming had 23 points and went 9-for-11 from the field, including his first 3-pointer in six years with time running out on the shot clock with 2:12 left in the game. The shot helped save the Rockets from a late collapse highlighted by turnovers on consecutive possessions in the final 1:12.

Yao, who's 2-for-10 lifetime from behind the arc, says he's not ready to add long-range shooting to his repertoire.

"Not really," he said. "I think I'm good in the post."

Yao, though, has been limited in Houston's first two meetings with San Antonio, averaging 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds as the Southwest rivals split those games. Spurs forward Tim Duncan, meanwhile, has averaged 19.5 points and 7.0 rebounds against the Rockets.

Duncan scored 22 and played stellar defense down the stretch as San Antonio overcame a 14-point deficit to steal a 77-75 home win over Houston on Nov. 14. The Spurs outscored the Rockets 22-13 in the fourth quarter and held them scoreless over the final 4:44 in that game.

The Rockets responded by routing the Spurs 103-84 at home two weeks later. Yao had just 12 points and one rebound in 28 minutes, but seven Houston players reached double figures in scoring and the Rockets held the Spurs to 37.7 percent shooting in their third straight home win over San Antonio.

Duncan and the Spurs will have some help inside with Drew Gooden healthy for the first time since signing with the team last Friday. Gooden had played only one game - with Sacramento - since Jan. 19 because of a groin injury before making his Spurs debut Thursday. He had two points and four rebounds in three-plus minutes against the Lakers.

"He looked like he's been here all year," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's a pro. He knows it's basketball, it's not real difficult. He's played it long enough and he plays well."

Gooden will likely get more playing time as he gets more accustomed to the Spurs' system. He could be particularly useful in the paint against the 7-foot-6 Yao.

"I think I'm going to do a good job," Gooden said. "I haven't had any time to practice with the team, everything I've been doing has been with the coaches. Other than that I feel like it's just a game of basketball and anybody in this league can do that and I think I'm one of them."