The Houston Rockets (36-13) visit San Antonio to take on the Spurs (34-19) in a matchup that pits great offense against stifling defense. The game begins at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 1, 2018.
Houston Rockets vs. San Antonio Spurs ATS Prediction
The last time the Rockets played, they topped the Orlando Magic, 114-107. Houston made good use of their 28 trips to the charity stripe, making 23 of them (82.1 percent). Orlando, meanwhile, was just 8-10 (80.0 percent). Houston rallied around James Harden, who finished with 60 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. This gave him his second triple-double this season.
The Spurs won a close one over the Denver Nuggets in their last matchup, 106-104. San Antonio’s 31.7 offensive rebounding percentage was their largest strength over Denver, who had a mark of 25.0. The Spurs’ mark was above their season average of 23.2. LaMarcus Aldridge was the game’s high scorer with 30 points on 14-for-23 shooting.
The game should be a battle of strength against strength as the high-octane offense of Houston takes on the stingy defense of San Antonio. The Rockets rank second in offensive efficiency, while the Spurs are second in defensive efficiency.
Houston comes into the contest with records of 36-13 straight up (SU) and 23-25-1 against the spread (ATS). Just over half of the Rockets’ games have finished under the projected point total.
Meanwhile, San Antonio is 34-19 SU and 27-22-4 ATS. Vegas tends to set the total high when the Spurs are involved, as 56.6 percent of their games have gone under the O/U total.
Dejounte Murray has averaged 12.4 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.2 steals over the last five games for San Antonio.
This will be the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, Chris Paul put up 28 points, eight assists and seven steals and the Rockets beat the Spurs 124-109, covering as 8-point favorites. The game finished with a total of 233 points, which was 19 points above the projected point total of 214 points. The Rockets made 20 of their 25 free throws (80.0 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (11.3 vs. 14.6).
Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs Betting Pick
Free Prediction: SU Winner – Rockets, ATS Winner – Rockets, O/U – Under
Notes
Betting Notes:
Houston is 13-10 ATS on the road with 14 unders, 8 overs and 1 push.
At home, San Antonio is 17-8-1 ATS with 14 overs and 12 unders.
San Antonio is 22-10 when they allow under 100 points, while Houston is 16-2.
In games where they score over 100 points, the Spurs are 27-3 and the Rockets are 35-10.
Houston ranks first in three pointers attempted per game (42.9) while San Antonio ranks 27th (24.4).
The Spurs rank sixth in points allowed in the paint per game (42.2) while the Rockets rank 27th (47.7).
Houston ranks third in steals per game (8.9) while San Antonio ranks 20th (7.4).
The Spurs rank first in blocks allowed per game (3.5) while the Rockets rank 17th (4.9).
Houston ranks first in rebounds allowed per game (41.0) while San Antonio ranks 10th (42.2).
The Rockets average 18.0 points off turnovers per game, which ranks sixth in the NBA. The Spurs rank 11th in points off turnovers allowed per game (15.5).
San Antonio averages 9.9 fast break points per game, which ranks 20th in the NBA. Houston ranks 23rd in fast break points allowed per game (12.9).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Houston is 1-4 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
San Antonio is 3-2 ATS with 4 overs and 1 under over their last five games.
The Rockets’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 6.4, down from 7.7 for the season.
During their last five games, the Spurs have scored an average of 103.8 points per game (2.9 above their season average) and allowed an average of 97.2 points per game (0.3 below their season average).
