"It cannot be said Gregg Popovich did not know what he was doing.

He knew by sitting All-Star forward Tim Duncan on Saturday, a night after the Spurs suffered their first home defeat of the season, he was inviting a losing streak.

Popovich didn't care. With an eye cast toward the future more than the present or past, the 35-year-old Duncan got his first night off this season in what became a 105-102 loss at Houston.

"This is his fourth game in five nights, and he probably shouldn't be playing four games in five nights if I want him at the end of the year," Popovich said. "So, we bite the bullet."

In the end, the Spurs very nearly bit the Rockets."