After opening the season with a 104-95 loss to the Orlando Magic on Monday, the Houston Rockets play their home opener Thursday against their long-time rivals the San Antonio Spurs.
Before their three-way trade with the New Orleans Hornets and the LA Lakers was vetoed by David Stern in his capacity as New Orleans' acting owner, the Rockets were likely looking at a front-court of Pau Gasol and Nene to battle Tim Duncan and company.
Instead, they have Sam Dalembert and Luis Scola, who were overwhelmed by Dwight Howard in the paint on Monday.
However, the 35-year old Duncan is no longer an MVP caliber player, with the Spurs offense running through Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, both of whom took twice as many shots as the 6'11 255 center in San Antonio's 95-82 win over Memphis on Monday.
The two former All-Stars will be a good test for a young Houston back-court of Kyle Lowry and Courtney Lee, both still trying to establish themselves as solid NBA players before their rookie deals are up.
The 7:00PM game will be broadcast regionally on Fox Sports Net Houston.
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