The San Antonio Spurs (53 - 26) defeated the Houston Rockets (53 - 25) 110 - 98 on Wednesday in San Antonio. The Spurs are starting to look like the defending NBA champions, as they are now winners of nine straight games and 12 of their last 13. Tony Parker was questionable coming into the game with an Achilles injury, but the injury appeared to have no major effect on the point guard, as he finished with 27 points (13 - 18 FG) and four assists in just 26 minutes. Kawhi Leonard was not far behind, scoring 20 points (9 - 15 FG) and recording four steals in 35 minutes of play. Leonard has been a monster on defense as of late, logging 14 steals in his last three games. Off the bench, Manu Ginobili scored 13 points on 5 - of - 8 shooting, while Boris Diaw put up a solid line of 15 points (7 - 14 FG) and nine rebounds in 27 minutes. The victory brings the Spurs into a tie with the Clippers for fifth place in the Western Conference playoff race, although Los Angeles currently holds the tiebreaker over them with just three games left to play for each. MVP-candidate James Harden led the way for Houston, scoring 22 points (6 - 15 FG, 2 - 6 3Pt), to go along with four rebounds and four assists in 35 minutes. Coming off his 41 - point performance against Oklahoma City, it was a bit of a letdown game for Harden despite still reaching the 20 - point mark. Dwight Howard did not play a full load of minutes Wednesday, but still managed 16 points (7 - 10) and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes, as he continues to recover from a knee injury that kept him out for the majority of the season. Trevor Ariza was the only other Rockets' starter to score in double figures, finishing with 19 points on 7 - of - 12 shooting in 34 minutes. Off the bench, Josh Smith contributed 13 points (5 - 13 FG, 3 - 8 3Pt) and five assists in 27 minutes. With the loss and a Memphis win, Houston is now in third place in the West despite having the same record as Grizzlies, as the Rockets do not hold the tiebreaker over them. These teams will play each other once again on Saturday in Houston in another game with major playoff implications.
["TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 26 Losses ,has 110 Total points ,has 9 Turnovers ,has 53 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 25 Losses ,has 98 Total points ,has 13 Turnovers ,has 53 Wins ."]