With the national cameras on, the New York Knicks will have a chance to show how they managed to get on a win streak after losing repeatedly. The challenge: beat Houston Rockets, a team that started hot, but have faded as their shots stopped falling.
Rockets at Knicks
Spread: Houston -5 (-110) at BetDSI Sportsbook
Total: o/u 212 points (-110)
The Rockets lose at home to Philadelphia
It’s the infamous D’Antoni’s system. If you shoot, some might come in. If the shots fall, you win. If they don’t, shoot more. Keep doing what you had done and expect different results, that doesn’t work well. The only thing the Houston Rockets shot, was their foot, as they repeatedly lose games on same issues. They refuse to play any defense on the perimeter, settle too much on the perimeter and fail to move the ball.
The Rockets lost second game in a row, but their shooting woes go back a few games. They managed to cope at first, but the bad has turned to worse and the losses followed. In a 107-115 home loss to the Sixers, Harden and his teammates shot 39.8 percent from the field, connecting on just 13-of-47 three-point attempts. 57 percent of their field goal attempts were from beyond the arc, with Eric Gordon launching 14, and Ariza and Anderson attempting 9 treys apiece. Harden was solid enough, with 3-of-7 from deep, en course to 29 points and 7 assists, 4 rebs and 4 steals, but he gave up the ball 7 times. Unsurprisingly, the Rockets were outscored 54-34 in the paint and outrebounded by young Sixers.
The Rockets played only 8 guys, but Ariza and Nene returned from one game absence. Chris Paul remains out indefinitely but is reportedly making progress. The Rockets are making stops in New York and Atlanta, before returning home to play the Utah Jazz.
Place: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Date/Time: Wednesday, November 1st, 2017. 8:00 PM ET
TV Coverage: ESPN
Heat fall to the Wolves in overtime
Winning streaks were something of an aberration in previous years for the Knicks, so even after a lousy start of the season, winning three games is lifting the spirits of the entire team. After blowing out the Nets and the Cavaliers, Denver would no go down without a fight. The Knicks stayed hot and followed the recipe for success from the previous wins, opening up a hefty lead in the first half, but the Nuggets stroke back in the third, evaporating almost all the lead the Knicks had. The final quarter was a back and forth situation, but the Knicks managed to prevail behind their prized young leader Porzingis.
The sweet-shooting Latvian stretch forward scored a career-high 38 points on 14-of-26 field goals. Yes, he wasn’t shy shooting the ball, and the Knicks needed him to take over the reigns as the primary offensive option. Tim Hardaway Jr. reverted to the old ways, hiring at will, and shooting a low percentage (he did score all of his 13 points in the crucial fourth quarter), but Porzingis had help from most of other players. The offense has looked very good since Jack was installed at the point, with players having complementary roles. It translated to 50 percent shooting against the Nuggets, and the Knicks did well from both three-point range (40.6 percent) and from the charity stripe (21-of-23, 91 percent). The bad came in form of 22 turnovers, a figure that they simply have to cut down. This was also the fourth consecutive game in which the Knicks managed to win the battle on the glass, helped by energetic reserve center Kyle O’Quinn who grabbed 12 boards.
The game against Denver marked the first of the five games on this homestand, and it was nice to see a packed MSG. The Knicks played at almost the full strength, only backup guard Baker was absent, if you discount the suspended Joakim Noah.
Houston Rockets at New York Knicks Game Trends & Prediction
The Houston Rockets are 3-5 against the spread, as the market overreacted to their hot start and a win over the champs. Of course, a big part of it is just complacency of the Rockets players, which stems from the same happening. The Recent streak of 1-4 ATS in the last five should be enough to stop you jumping on their bandwagon. The game against the Philly broke another big streak. The Rockets have played an over against the Warriors in the opening game, but followed with six consecutive under games, before finally managing to cross the target line. They are now 2-6 on O/U, and it shows their troubles shooting the ball more than any other stat.
The Knicks evened up their win/loss record and the ATS record followed, as they were favored only once this season. The covers were also convincing, so you can expect a slight adjustment by the odds setters. They are also more profitable on the minus side of the total points, but did play an over game last time around. Currently, they stand at 2-4 when it comes to the O/U market.
Admi-Rank: Flying high is not an easy task, and the Rockets bad showings and negative approach to games leads them to trend in a wrong direction. The Knicks, on the other hand, enjoy a nice bounce back. As you can se for yourself, the difference between the two is still gigantic. It’ll take more than a few games to change that.
Don’t worry, the Rockets won’t stop shooting. The Knicks are efficient now with Jack, but the numbers will go down a bit, as long as someone plays some defense against them. The Nets, the Cavs, and the Nuggets are three of the worst five or six defenses in the league at this point, and the Rockets can enter any discussion when bad D is in question. So hunting for an over certainly is a good idea to start with, and the 212 total points line that the books have set shouldn’t deter you from it. Take the over side, as the shots will start to fall for the Rockets
The Rockets are also set as the favorite here, facing a spread of 5 points. If this game was played a week ago, the handicap would be close to 9 points, so it’s a massive adjustment. The books are baiting you into taking the Rockets, and I’m not opposed to it. My fair line is at 6 points, so it’s tight, but if you feel good that the recent trends are going to reverse, feel free to take them. I’ll pass.
My Pick: no bet for me, but green light to take Houston -4.5 (-110) if you feel so
Total: Over 212 points
