The Houston Rockets (36-38) travel to the Quicken Loans Arena to square off against the Cleveland Cavaliers (52-21), the best team in the Eastern Conference. The game begins at 8:00 pm ET on Tuesday, Mar. 29 and can be seen on TNT and FxO.
The Cavaliers come into this game on a high note after topping the Knicks 107-93 on Saturday. Cleveland received a boost from LeBron James, who recorded his third triple-double on the season. He dominated, registering 27 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a bitter 104-101 loss at the hands of the Pacers on Sunday. James Harden had a game-high 34 points.
James has been playing at a high level over the last five games for the Cavaliers. During that stretch, he has averaged 28.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.0 steal, 0.6 blocks, and 1.0 three-pointer.
It will be a tale of two tempos, as the fast-breaking Rockets (ranked fifth in the league in possessions per game) take on the methodical Cavaliers (26th).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Cavaliers won the first game 91-77. James was a standout player in the game, producing 19 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks, and one three-pointer.
The Cavaliers have gone 52-21 Straight Up (SU) and 32-39-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 52-21 SU and 32-39-2 ATS versus the Western Conference. The Cavaliers come into the game with the league’s fifth-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 106.5 points per game on their own court. The Cavaliers are one of the best in the NBA in terms of three-point field goals, making 10.0 shots per game from beyond the arc. Cleveland’s defense is doing poorly against opposing offenses during the last 10 games, allowing an average of 105.9 points per game, well above their season average of 97.9. Houston has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.6 fouls per game), so expect the Cavaliers to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
As for their opponent, the Rockets head into the game with records of 31-42-1 ATS and 36-38 SU. Houston has records of 36-38 SU and 31-42-1 ATS against the East. Houston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking third in points off turnovers with an average of 18.7 per game.
With the Cavaliers’ last win against Houston, Cleveland is still behind in the head-to-head record over the last 10 meetings, 2-8 SU. The Rockets also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – Cle
Notes
Houston puts up 105.9 points per game (ranked fourth), but Cleveland typically gives up only 97.9 points per game (ranked third).
On average, Cleveland gives up 98.1 points per home game. Houston averages 106.8 points per away game, ranking the team third in scoring.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Cavaliers are 29-9 on the season. When the Rockets score fewer than 100, they are an abysmal 2-16.
The Cavaliers have a 23-12 record when they allow at least 100 points. The Rockets have also performed well when they reach the century mark with a record of 34-22 in such games.
The Rockets have a defensive rating of 106.8 (ranked 24th). The Cavaliers rank fourth for their offensive rating of 108.9.
The Houston Rockets average 100.4 possessions per game and 1.055 points per possession. The Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions with 95.4, but they score more points with 1.089.
The Houston Rockets have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with an EFF% of 51.3%. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a solid 20-9 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher EFF%.
Cleveland averages 29.0 three point attempts per game, and Houston attempts 30.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Cavaliers have a winning 37-17 record while the Rockets have a 30-32 record.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.76, rank eighth in the NBA. The Houston Rockets have a lower A/TO (1.42), ranking 26th.
The Cavaliers rank eighth in rebounds per game with 44.6, while the Rockets rank 20th with 42.9 per game.
Cleveland is ranked 12th in defensive rebounds, while Houston ranks seventh in offensive rebounds.
Houston averages a forced turnover rate of 15.7% this season, ranked second in the league. Cleveland has a 12-8 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
