Spurs book playoff date with Hornets as Rockets fight on

SAN ANTONIO, Texas: Defending National Basketball Association champion San Antonio ousted Phoenix and New Orleans dumped Dallas on Tuesday to book a second-round playoff showdown against each other.

But the Utah Jazz could not join the Spurs and Hornets in advancing as the Houston Rockets kept their title hopes alive with a 95-69 triumph as the focus became clear in the Western Conference playoff chase.