Tip-off: Thursday, 8:05 p.m. ET
Line: Houston -4, Total: 199

The Rockets will attempt to keep their perfect record alive when they host the defending champion Spurs on Thursday night.

Here is the BetDSI Sportsbook season betting preview for the San Antonio Spurs:

San Antonio is 0-3 ATS after opening the season with three close games. It first defeated the Mavs 101-100 as a 3.5-point favorite, then suffered a 94-89 loss in Phoenix in a pick 'em game before earning a second SU win on Wednesday night when it eked out a 94-92 victory over 8-point underdog Atlanta. In the win over the Hawks, the Spurs made 44.9% of their shots while seven different players had double-digit points. They did struggle in some areas though, as they hit a meager 27-of-38 free throws (71%) and turned the ball over 19 times. Houston has had one of the best starts in the NBA while winning each of its first five contests SU (4-0-1 ATS) by at least 11 points and defeating its opponents by an average of 14.2 PPG. The Rockets have been very consistent with their scoring, as they have reached 108 points twice while going for 104 points. In the most recent victory against the Heat on Tuesday, Houston shot 51.5% from the floor in a 108-91 blowout of the 2.5-point favorite Miami team. The Rockets have done well in this matchup over the past few years, going 5-3 SU (6-2 ATS) since the start of the 2012-13 season, including 3-1 (SU and ATS) at home. Houston has averaged 106.0 PPG in its four games against the Spurs last season, as it won each time. Trends show that the Rockets are a poor 4-13 ATS (24%) after a blowout win of 15+ points over the past two seasons while going 38-22 ATS (63%) after a non-conference game in the past three years. The one injury to keep an eye on in this contest is that of PF Terrence Jones (knee) who is questionable for the Rockets. Teammate PF Tarik Black (thigh) is also questionable, as is Spurs SG Marco Belinelli (groin).

Will the Rockets start the season 6-0 with a win over the defending champions? For the answer, connect to The Platinum Sheet for all the Expert picks throughout the entire 2014-15 season. StatFox Zach posted a 54% ATS mark (65-56-4) in NBA Best Bets last season, while StatFox Forecaster had a 53.4% ATS (207-181-12) in featured games last season. StatFox Scott and StatFox Gary are both off to a great start to the 2014-15 campaign, as Scott is 71% ATS (5-2) and Gary is 63% ATS (5-3). The five experts have combined for a 54.3% ATS record (19-16) in NBA Best Bets.

San Antonio’s offense has not been clicking in the early going with a mere 94.7 PPG (21st in NBA), but the club has made 46.1% FG, which ranks ninth-best in the league. The Spurs have been tough on defense though, holding their opponents to 95.3 PPG (10th in NBA) on 43.2% FG (9th in league) and 28.1% threes (5th in NBA). PF Tim Duncan (15.7 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 2.7 BPG) continues to be effective despite being 38 years old, and is coming off a dominant effort on Wednesday night when he recorded 17 points, 13 rebounds, six blocks, four assists and three steals. Last season in four games against Houston he averaged a double-double (13.8 PPG, 11.3 RPG) while getting 3.3 BPG and shooting 49% from the field. PG Tony Parker (19.7 PPG, 5.3 APG) has been efficient from the floor so far (56% FG), but struggled with seven turnovers on Wednesday. He has tons of experience against the Rockets (47 games) and has averaged 17.0 PPG (46% FG) with 6.7 APG in that time. SG Manu Ginobili (11.3 PPG, 3.7 APG) has not found his rhythm yet while shooting 32% from the floor and hopes he can rebound against a team which he has averaged 14.8 PPG (45% FG) with 3.8 RPG over 40 career games (18 starts).

Houston has been able to defeat teams with a potent offense that has dropped an average of 105.6 PPG (5th in NBA) on 46.1% FG (10th in league), including an NBA-best 44.1% three-pointers. The Rockets have also looked spectacular on the defensive side of the ball while allowing the second-fewest points in the league so far (91.4 PPG) while limiting the opposition to just 41.1% shooting (4th in league). SG James Harden (27.2 PPG, 7.4 APG, 6.8 RPG, 1.4 SPG) nearly had a triple-double (25 points, 10 assists, 9 rebounds) while adding two blocks and a steal in the win over the Heat on Tuesday night. He had much to do with the Rockets winning all four of their head-to-head meetings with San Antonio last season too, as he poured in 25.0 PPG (49% FG) to go along with 6.3 APG and 5.0 RPG. C Dwight Howard (17.2 PPG, 10.6 RPG, 1.8 BPG) has made 61% of his shots while having a double-double in 4-of-5 games. He’s done well in his 22 starts against the Spurs in his career, averaging 18.8 PPG and 13.7 RPG while swatting away plenty of shots (1.9 BPG). SF Trevor Ariza (17.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.8 SPG) has been a nice addition for the Rockets and has already scored 20+ points in two of the five contests. Over his time facing San Antonio (23 games, 15 starts) as part of six different teams, Ariza has averaged 8.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 26-of-54 threes (48%) in 26.8 MPG on the court.