In a sense, it feels like the Spurs have switched places with the IH-10 Rivals this season. Despite being close in the standings, it was a very different season for the Spurs and Houston Rockets. Both teams have similar rebuilding schedules, with the Rockets coming out ahead by a year and rising to the No. 2 seed in the West last season, before losing to the Warriors in the first round. They seemed to address most of their depth issues in the offseason and added even more star power with the addition of Kevin Durant, but so far it’s been a disappointing season in no small part due to the loss of Fred VanVleet.
The Spurs, on the other hand, are experiencing a similar rise to last season’s Rockets, from play-in contenders who ultimately missed out the season before to a No. 2 seed the following season (though we hope the similarities end there eventually). The additions of players like Dylan Harper, Luke Cornett, and a healthy version of De’Aaron Fox reinforced the depth issues from last season and helped them not only weather a spate of injuries, but also grow.
Today, both rivals will meet for the first time since early November. This time, the Spurs won a close game, ultimately winning their group and making it to the NBA Cup Finals.
San Antonio Spurs (30-13) vs. Houston Rockets (25-15)
January 20, 2026 | 7:00 PM (Central Time)
Watch: NBC/Peacock |Listen: WOAI (12:00 a.m.)
Spurs injuries: The deadline is 1pm.
Rockets injuries: Steven Adams — Out (ankle). Tali Eason — Questionable (ankle). Fred VanVleet — out (knee)
Rockets don’t have a point guard
It’s a situation the Spurs have been empathizing with for several seasons now, but Houston has been playing without a true point guard all season after VanVleet suffered a torn ACL in September. The result was a committee-by-committee approach to point guarding, with duties divided among players like Armen Thomson and Reid Shepard. As a result, the team ranks in the bottom 10 of the league in turnovers, the offense stagnates, and it relies too much on Durant at times, but that doesn’t mean the Spurs can discount the team. They improved a lot on the ball in January and still rank fourth overall in offensive net rating.
Will the Spurs be able to use their newfound offense on the road?
The Rockets played a very demanding schedule to start the season, playing 23 of their first 36 games on the road. (I don’t know why. I work right across the street from the Toyota Center, and unlike the Spurs rodeo, nothing of note happened there.) Instead, the number of games and streaks went down, but it was still tiring. Either way, they still have the second-best record in the West at home at 14-3, and are currently 3-1 in five games, including a win over the Timberwolves on the homestand, and will look to cap that off with a win tonight.
At the same time, while the Spurs are a good road team at 13-8 this season, Houston is one of the places that has given them trouble over the years, including during their dynasty. It’s probably fair to say they rediscovered their offensive form during a three-game homestand, but now they have to take it into a hostile environment. They showed at the beginning of the season that they are OK, so I hope the offense starts to click with them again.
Even without Steven Adams, who suffered a horrific ankle sprain in the last game against the Pelicans and the Rockets have played much better than they would have been without, they are a long, strong team with players like Alperen Sengan, Durant and Jabari Smith. Spurs also have plenty of length alongside Wenby, especially if they play Cornet to get French Vanilla. I think they would have definitely broken through if Adams had been available, but if Wenby continues to hit threes like this, especially since he has a 16-27 record in the last three games, he might still be able to do it.
For a Rockets fan’s perspective, visit: dream shake.
Game threads here and X Profile (@tokyo_tokyo).