The Houston Rockets (12-13) travel to Sacramento to play the Kings (9-15) in a game that will likely be up tempo. The game gets underway at 10:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Dec. 15 and will air on RSW, CSA and NBA.
The Kings won a close one over the Knicks 99-97 the last time they played. With 16 points and 12 assists, Rajon Rondo recorded his 11th double-double this season. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 114-108 loss to the Nuggets on Monday. James Harden had a good shooting night, leading the game with 24 points.
There should be plenty of transition action in this game. The Kings rank second in the league in possessions per game (102.0), while the Rockets are fifth (101.4).
The Rockets have won both contests against the Kings this season, including a 120-113 victory in their last matchup. Harden was the game’s leading scorer with 31 points.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is 218 points. The Kings enter the game with records of 9-15 Straight Up (SU) and 11-13 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 3-11 SU and 6-8 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Kings come into the game with the third-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 104.9 points per game. Spreading the ball around is a huge part of Sacramento’s offense. They are fifth in the league in assists with an average of 24.2 per game.
On the other side, the Rockets head into the game with records of 9-16 ATS and 12-13 SU. Houston has records of 8-7 SU and 7-8 ATS against the West. The Rockets rank fifth in the league in scoring, averaging 104.4 points per game. The Rockets are an excellent long-range shooting team with 269 three-point shots made (10.0 per game), ranking second in the NBA. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Rockets are one of the best in the league with an average of 10.6 steals per game. Houston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking third in points off turnovers with an average of 19.2 per game.
The Rockets’ win over Sacramento in their last clash moved their SU record in the last 10 against Sacramento to 8-2. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, the Rockets have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou, ATS Winner – Hou, O/U – Over
Notes
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Sacramento’s last 6 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Sacramento’s last 6 games at home.
Sacramento is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games at home.
Sacramento is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Houston.
Sacramento is 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Houston.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Sacramento’s last 6 games when playing Houston.
The total has gone OVER in 15 of Sacramento’s last 21 games when playing at home against Houston.
Sacramento is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston.
Sacramento is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games when playing at home against Houston.
Houston is one of the top scoring teams, averaging 104.4 points per game (ranked fifth). Sacramento, on the other hand, allows 108.2 points per game (ranked 29th).
Sacramento ranks 24th in points allowed per home game (105.1 PPG), while Houston ranks seventh in points per away game with 103.5.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets are a winning 2-1. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Sacramento Kings have a subpar record of 2-8.
Houston is 10-12 when it gives up 100 or more points. The Kings have an even 7-7 record when they hit triple digits.
The Kings have a defensive rating of 106.6 (ranked 28th), while the Rockets rank 12th for their offensive rating of 102.9.
Ranked seventh in the NBA, Sacramento has an average field goal percentage of 45.3%. Houston is 7-10 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
Sacramento attempts an average of 22.0 three pointers per game, and Houston attempts 31.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Kings are even at 4-4 while the Rockets have an 11-12 record.
The Sacramento Kings, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.56, rank 11th in the NBA. The Houston Rockets have a lower A/TO (1.32), ranking 26th.
The Sacramento Kings rebound 44.3 times per game and are ranked 13th. Ranked 21st, the Houston Rockets rebound 43.1 times per game.
Sacramento is ranked 20th in defensive rebounds, while Houston ranks fifth in offensive rebounds.
Houston is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.7% (ranked seventh). Sacramento has a poor record of 3-7 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.7% or greater.
