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HOUSTON -- It might be too early in the season to get ensnarled in the implications of one particular game, but given the recent trajectories of the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets, their meeting on Tuesday at Toyota Center could feature plenty of intrigue.The Spurs (22-5) have responded to their first road loss of the season (and chastisement from coach Gregg Popovich) on Dec. 8 at Chicago with four consecutive wins by an average margin of 16 points.San Antonio and Houston split their two previous meetings this season, each winning on the road as part of a home-and-home last month. The teams will not meet again until March 6 in San Antonio, by which time the Southwest Division standings could look different.Even with their early-season hiccups the Spurs remain a juggernaut, ranking in the top 10 in both offensive (sixth) and defensive (fourth) rating. And as another testament to their collective professionalism, the Spurs handled an emotional night centered on the jersey retirement of Tim Duncan with focus by dispatching the New Orleans Pelicans 113-100 on Sunday night prior to honoring The Big Fundamental.I thought our physical effort was pretty good, Popovich said. The mental effort was better than it has been. A lot of people participated and got involved, so that was good.The Rockets (21-7) claimed their 10th consecutive victory on Saturday night with a white-knuckle win at Minnesota, rallying from a 17-point deficit in the second half, 11 points with just over a minute remaining, to win in overtime 111-109.Playing the second half of a back-to-back on the road against a team that had three nights off, the Rockets had every reason to pack it in once the deficit swelled to double digits. But one attribute they have shown this season is a resiliency they lacked last year as they stumbled to a .500 finish.James Harden scored 10 of his 28 points in overtime while Ryan Anderson hit seven 3-pointers en route to 28 points.Im so confident in this team, Harden said. I dont ever see us out of a game. We score the ball so easily, so well.The Rockets exceptional 3-point shooting is an obvious asset, but their tenacity requires a deeper appreciation.Unbeaten in December, the Rockets rank third in offensive rating (113.6 points per 100 possessions), second in defensive rating (98.4) and second in net rating (15.2) over 10 games this month. Opening the season without guard Patrick Beverley qualified as early adversity. Houston is 15-2 since Beverley returned to action.Now, the Rockets will be tested again, this time via the loss of center Clint Capela, who suffered a left knee contusion against the Timberwolves. Capela, averaging 17.4 points, 11.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per 36 minutes, underwent an MRI on Monday, has been declared out for the Spurs game and reportedly for four to six weeks.Rockets coach Mike DAntoni has done a commendable job juggling the minutes of his big men, a collection that also includes veteran center Nene plus second-year power forward Montrezl Harrell.With Capela sidelined for an indefinite span of games, that rotation shrinks and responsibilities will be greater for Nene and Harrell.Nothing changes for me, Harrell said. I come out and do the same things that the teams needs me to do every night. I come in and play the game with a lot of energy, I come in and do all the little things they need me to do and its as simple as that.Its unfortunate that were missing a teammate thats definitely a huge part of our roll but it doesnt change anything with what I have to do.Vans Old Skool Pas Cher En Ligne . Takahashi, who had a 10-point lead after the short program, received 268.31 points after the free skate to finish 15 points ahead of second-place Nobunari Oda. Old Skool Acheter . -- An ugly goal by Nick Bonino helped the Anaheim Ducks overcome the defensive-minded Phoenix Coyotes on a night when their ragged power play continued to struggle. http://www.pascheroldskool.fr/ . Halladay signed a one-day contract with the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday that allowed the veteran right-hander to retire as a member of team with which he broke into the majors and spent the bulk of his distinguished 16-year career. Vans Old Skool Sortie . Breaking three of his own world records on his way to winning in Paris, Chan silenced the critics and left the audiences standing in appreciation and awe. Chaussure Vans Old Skool Pas Cher . Clarkson had been dealing with an elbow injury in early January and will be out of action for at least one week. He has three goals and five assists through 36 games with the Leafs this season.The Golden State Warriors took the NBA by storm with their willingness to shoot 3-pointers from anywhere, at any time. They won a title, played for another and changed the way teams think about the 3.The precedent was set in college basketball, where current Louisville coach Rick Pitino set the trend and the rest followed.Rick Pitino went to it right away, but everybody else didnt, Villanova coach Jay Wright said. Gradually, everyones realizing the effect and power of that shot.Pitino, then coaching at Providence, embraced the 3-point shot immediately after it was added to college basketball in 1986. The Friars went to the 1987 Final Four behind sharpshooter Billy Donovan and their ability to knock down the 3.Though teams were reluctant to follow suit at first, the 3-point shot became a viable weapon in college basketball. Smaller teams saw it as a way to compete with bigger, more athletic teams, while the teams with big frontcourts like the 3 to help space the court.The percentage of shots taken from the 3-point arc reached an all-time high during the 2015-16 season, with teams combining for 35.4 percent. Three of the four schools that reached the Final Four attempted more than 40 percent of their shots from behind the arc: National champion Villanova (42), Syracuse (42) and Oklahoma (40).Contested 2-point shots dont win games in college or the NBA, said Northern Arizona coach Jack Murphy, an advance scout for the NBAs Denver Nuggets from 2006-09. So I just think youre seeing a lot more teams play smaller or play with more capable 4-men.The trend in the college game makes sense.The NBA 3-point arc is 23 feet, 9 inches from the basket, while the NCAA line is 19-9. The shorter shot is not only easier to make, it broadens the range of players who can hit it.Zone defense is far more prevalent in college, creating opportunities for teams to shoot over the top or work the ball inside and kick out to shooters.College basketball also has a much wider range of talent; a skinny, pure shooter might be able to thrive in the college game, but usually has no shot at playing in the NBA.And theres this: Outscoring your opponent takes a lower shoooting percentage from 3-point range than inside the arc.dddddddddddd.The one thing: One out of three 3s equals one out of two 2s, Arizona coach Sean Miller said. You think about that. If youre a 37 percent 3-point shooter, that doesnt necessarily get anybody excited, but if you take good 3s and you make 37 percent, thats a good shot for your team. Because 1 of 2 from 2, everybody signs up for 50 percent from 2.Its more than just the way the college game is set up. A transformation of skill sets contributed.Almost since the inception of the game, coaches took their biggest players, parked them near the basket and left them there so they could shoot from close range.As the game evolved, so did the aspirations of the biggest players on the court.Instead of just catching the ball in the post and shooting hook shots, they wanted to be ballhandlers and perimeter shooters. These big kids worked on their skills and, after years of resistance, their coaches began to help them.The tallest players often arrived on college campuses with an entirely new cache of skills and coaches embraced it, using their ability to shoot the ball to stretch defenses.Youre seeing a lot more thought put into coaching on the youth level, Murphy said. Theyre putting kids in positions where they can handle the ball and shoot perimeter shots. I mean, the national championship was won by a 3-point-shooting big man. Thats just what youre seeing in the game.That big man was Villanovas Kris Jenkins.The 6-foot-6, 235-pound forward is a bruiser inside, but also has deep range on the perimeter. Last April, he hit one of the most dramatic shots in NCAA Tournament history, pulling up without hesitation for a long 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Wildcats a 77-74 victory over North Carolina.The Wildcats philosophy wont change with their title defense, either.Im OK with 38 to 40 percent, Wright said. Thats good for us.Based upon the statistics, so are many other coaches.---AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston in Philadelphia contributed to this story. ' ' '