The Houston Rockets (16 - 15) defeated the San Antonio Spurs (25 - 6) 88 - 84 on Friday in a Christmas Day showdown. The Rockets pulled off quite the feat here, as they beat one of the powerhouses in the NBA. They got it done with an even more bizarre recipe, as they won with defense and very little three - point shooting. Houston really turned it on in the second half overcoming a halftime deficit to win the second half by nine points. Houston didn’t shoot efficiently from the free - throw line, but they did a fantastic job of drawing fouls, as they took 26 free throws to the Spurs eight. The Spurs are known for their staunchy defense, but they didn’t play enough offense here to get a win. They barely shot 40 percent from the field and got to the free - throw line just eight times. Tim Duncan recorded a double - double, but Kawhi Leonard was the star on the night. Leonard has a great all - around game, tallying 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, five steals and three blocks in an outstanding performance. This was a tough task to beat a hungry Houston team on the road in a showcase game and the Spurs have nothing to be ashamed about with their amazing play this season. They'll take on the Denver Nuggets at home on Saturday in their next game to try to continue their undefeated home streak this season. The Rockets haven’t had a great season by their standards, but this was a great performance in a showcase game. They attempt the most three - pointers in the NBA, but went just 7 - for - 15 here in an efficient fashion. Dwight Howard recorded a double - double, but the beard was the hero. He showed up big in the second half and carried them to a win. Harden finished with 20 points, nine assists and four rebounds en route to the victory. Jason Terry also scored nine points in the final quarter and came up clutch for this Rockets team to help aid the win. They'll look to build off this win in Saturday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.
["TeamStat(G,'Rockets') has 15 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 16 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Spurs') has 6 Losses ,has 84 Total points ,has 25 Wins ."]