San Antonio Spurs steal one against the Houston Rockets

The Spurs’ strategy forced Houston into taking more of the shots it hates in Game 3 – the Rockets went 1 of 10 on mid-range shots.

Green on Murray’s play against veteran guard Beverley: “You’ve got a guy like Pat Beverley – a junkyard dog – hounding him up and down the court. Can you handle the moment?” “I wake up from a nap, the usual nap, to find out the person that raised you and nine other cousins or siblings or whatever, to hear that he passed”.

The Spurs return to San Antonio on Tuesday for a 7pm tip-off and chance to regain the lead in this series.

Apparently not the Spurs, who prevailed in Game 3 for a 2-1 lead despite suffering the biggest loss in this postseason.

Aldridge helped replace the void left by Tony Parker who is out for the rest of the playoffs with an quad tendon injury.

The 34-year-old Parker was injured Wednesday night as the Spurs evened their second-round playoff series against the Rockets at 1-1.

Leonard has hounded Harden, his teammates have run the Rockets off the 3-point line, and Gasol and Aldridge have done a fine job protecting the rim when chaos unfolds. The visitors can be satisfied with a guaranteed split sans their legendary point guard, but will look to upset the stunned opponent and knock them out with another win. Maybe it has something to do with feeling like a focal point of the offense again; maybe not. Hilario should be considered questionable for Game 5.

“If you’re making shots, if you’re shooting free throws, there’s not a whole lot of transition you have to worry about”. However in the playoffs, the whistle is harder to rely on. San Antonio seems to have figured out the best way to defend the Rockets.

Gasol had been coming off the bench since last starting January 17, but his addition as a starter in Games 2 and 3 has triggered a turnaround based on defense and clutch shots. He can be cancelled out by James Harden (and largely was on Friday). The Rockets hit 19 threes on 44.2 percent shooting from deep, ( well above the 30.8 percent they shot in Game 3). Harden had 12 assists after managing just five in the last game and added five rebounds. However, Harden started the game off poorly again.

“You’ve got to win four”, D’Antoni said.

Ariza on Houston’s role players stepping up on Sunday night: “In our offense, we need everybody to be aggressive”.

Despite the poor showing, Game 3 was lost in the final minutes.

“All they care about is the “W” or the “L”. Juxtapose this with the Spurs, and Kawhi Leonard. So Harden has to keep attacking to bring those defenders in.

The Houston Rockets will only be under more pressure in Game4. “But there are going to be games when I take four shots”. Behind 18 3-pointers, the Rockets picked up a critical 125-104 win over the San Antonio Spurs. However, Aldridge CLEARLY has the opportunity to establish himself as the obvious third best player in this series.