The New York Knicks visit the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Saturday, Nov. 21 and will air on RSW and MSG.
The Rockets were beaten by the Grizzlies 96-84 on Friday. James Harden finished with 22 points to lead the team. The Knicks, meanwhile, are coming off a 93-90 win over the Thunder on Friday. Carmelo Anthony led the team in scoring with 25 points on 9-for-20 shooting.
The aggressive Rockets offense seems focused on getting to the foul line. They rank fourth in the NBA at getting to the stripe (free throw attempt rate of 33.5), while New York is among the league’s most foul-prone squads (giving up a 27th-ranked free throw attempt rate of 32.8).
The Rockets, a seven-point favorite, will look to capitalize at home against New York. The Over/Under (O/U) for the matchup is set at 205 points. The Rockets are looking to improve on their records of 5-8 Straight Up (SU) and 3-10 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 3-7 ATS. The Rockets are a phenomenal shooting team from the line with 20.0 free throws made per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
On the other side, New York has a SU record of 7-6 and an ATS record of 9-4. Most recently, New York is 7-3 ATS over the last 10 games. The Knicks rank fifth in the league in road scoring, averaging 103.7 points per game. The Knicks are shooting lights out from the foul line so far, with a .814 free throw percentage that ranks second in the NBA. Shifting to the other side of the court, teams seem to consistently miss shots against the Knicks, who are the fifth-best team in the league in terms of opponent field goal percentage allowed at .424.
This is the first meeting of the season for the Rockets and the Knicks. The last time they played Houston came out on top, moving its SU record against the Knicks to 10-0 in their last 10 head-to-head meetings. Additionally, the Rockets lead the matchup ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – NY, ATS Winner – NY, O/U – Under
Notes
Houston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 13 of Houston’s last 19 games.
Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games.
Houston is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing New York.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston’s last 13 games when playing New York.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston’s last 7 games when playing at home against New York.
Houston is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against New York.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of New York’s last 7 games when playing on the road against Houston.
On average, New York scores 98.4 points per game (ranked 22nd). Houston ranks 28th in points allowed per game with 107.2.
New York is one of the top scoring teams on the road, averaging 103.7 points per game (ranked fifth). Houston, on the other hand, allows 108.2 points per home game (ranked 29th).
The New York Knicks have a split 5-5 record when they limit their opponents to fewer than 100 points. The Houston Rockets have a winless 0-8 record this season when they score less than 100.
When New York gives up at least 100 points, the team is 2-1. In games in which it hits triple digits, Houston is undefeated (5-0).
The Rockets have a defensive rating of 105.6 (ranked 24th), while the Knicks rank 18th for their offensive rating of 101.0.
New York has an average field goal percentage of 42.2%. Houston is a losing 4-8 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Houston Rockets rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (25th) than they do for their field goal percentage (30th). The New York Knicks rank 26th for both their FG% and EFF%.
Houston makes an average of 20.8 assists per game (ranked 20th), while New York makes 20.2 assists per game (ranked 22nd).
The Houston Rockets average 6.0 blocks per game for a rank of sixth. The New York Knicks rank lower (14th), earning 5.2 blocks each game.
The Houston Rockets rank 12th in offensive rebounding, while the New York Knicks rank 18th in defensive rebounding.
The Houston Rockets average 9.7 steals per game, ranked third in the NBA. The New York Knicks are an even 2-2 when they allow at least 9 steals.
