Offense meets defense when the Houston Rockets (28-11) welcome the Portland Trail Blazers (22-18) to Toyota Center. The game can be seen on ATTSN Southwest at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets ATS Prediction
The Trail Blazers will be hoping for a similar outcome after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder in their last contest, 117-106. Portland was successful at getting to and converting from the free throw line. The Trail Blazers made 21 of their 26 free throws (80.8 percent), while the Thunder were 19-26 (73.1 percent). With 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting, CJ McCollum was the game’s high scorer.
In the Rockets’ last game, they defeated the Chicago Bulls, 116-107. The Rockets held the Bulls to an offensive rebounding percentage of 7.0 (below their season average of 20.2) and had a better free throw rate (0.209 vs. 0.174). With 15 points and 16 rebounds, Clint Capela had a solid game for Houston.
This matchup pits one of the league’s top offenses against one of its elite defenses. Houston ranks second in offensive efficiency and Portland is fourth in defensive efficiency.
Portland heads into the contest with records of 22-18 straight up (SU) and 18-17-4 against the spread (ATS). Vegas has a tendency to place the total high when the Trail Blazers are involved, as 26 of their 39 games have gone under the total.
Meanwhile, Houston owns records of 28-11 SU and 18-20-1 ATS. Contrary to Portland, a little over half of Rockets games have finished over the projected point total.
McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic have played well over the last five games for Portland. McCollum has averaged 22.8 points, 5.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Not to be outdone, Nurkic has recorded 14.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.2 blocks a game during that span.
This is the second game of the season between these two teams. In the first, James Harden scored a game-high 48 points and the Rockets defeated the Trail Blazers 124-117 but were unable to cover as 8.5-point favorites. He also had eight rebounds. The game finished with a total of 241 points, which was 24 points above the projected point total of 217 points. The Rockets made 34 of their 42 free throws (81.0 percent) and had a better turnover percentage (11.4 vs. 13.9).
Portland Trail Blazers at Houston Rockets Free Pick
Predictions: SU Winner – Rockets, ATS Winner – Rockets, O/U – Over
Notes
Betting Notes:
Portland is 12-6-1 ATS on the road with 12 unders and 7 overs.
At home, Houston is 7-12-1 ATS with 13 overs and 7 unders.
Houston is 12-2 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while Portland is 14-4.
The Rockets are 28-8 when they score above 100 points, while the Trail Blazers are 17-8.
Houston ranks first in three pointers attempted per game (43.6) while Portland ranks 24th (25.1).
The Rockets rank fourth in steals per game (8.8) while the Trail Blazers rank 25th (6.8).
Houston ranks fifth in points off turnovers per game (18.3) while Portland ranks 26th (14.8).
The Trail Blazers rank seventh in points allowed in the paint per game (42.0) while the Rockets rank 27th (47.5).
Houston ranks 13th in fast break points per game (11.0) while Portland ranks 28th (6.0).
The Rockets rank 16th in assists per game (22.5) while the Trail Blazers rank 29th (18.8).
Portland ranks fifth in blocks per game (5.2) while Houston ranks 17th in blocks allowed per game (4.8).
The Rockets rank third in rebounds allowed per game (41.2) while the Trail Blazers rank 11th (42.4).
Bettings Trends:
In their last five games, Portland is 2-2-1 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders.
Houston is 2-3 ATS with 3 overs and 2 unders over their last five games.
The Trail Blazers’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.0, up from 1.3 for the season.
During their last five games, the Rockets have scored an average of 119.0 points per game (4.1 above their season average) and allowed an average of 115.8 points per game (8.7 above their season average).
