You probably could have gotten pretty good odds at the start of the NBA season if you had bet that both San Antonio and Houston, two of the league's powerhouse teams, would be under. 500 a quarter of the way through the 2018-19 campaign.
The surprisingly disappointing start will be one of the storylines when the Rockets (9-11) head to the Alamo City to battle the Spurs (10-11) on Friday at the AT&T Center.
Houston comes into the latest Lone Star State showdown on the heels of a 128-108 home loss to Dallas on Wednesday. The Rockets played that game without star guard Chris Paul, who has missed the past three games with a hamstring injury, and key reserve wing Gerald Green, who has an ankle injury.