The Houston Rockets head to the Verizon Center to take on the Washington Wizards. The game starts at 12:30 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 29 and will air on ROOT-SW and CSN-DC.
The Wizards edged the Hornets 110-107 on Friday. Drew Gooden played a key role, recording 15 points and 17 rebounds to notch his second double-double this season. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 120-110 win over the Timberwolves on Friday. James Harden led the game in scoring with 33 points on 9-for-19 shooting.
Harden has been on fire over the last five games for the Rockets, averaging 33.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.8 assists, 1.8 steals, 1.0 block, and 3.0 three-pointers.
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Wizards won the first game 104-103. Bradley Beal was a standout player in the game, producing 33 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and five three-pointers.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Wizards are attempting to build on their records of 41-32 Straight Up (SU) and 28-44-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have a record of 15-13 SU and 11-16-1 ATS versus the Western Conference. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Wizards, who allow a field goal percentage of only .436.
On the other side, Houston has a SU record of 49-23 and an ATS record of 42-30. Houston has a record of 21-6 SU and 17-10 ATS against the East. Houston is the top three-point shooting team in the league, converting 830 shots from three-point range (11.5 per game). Houston’s three-point defense is one of the top in the league, with opponents making only 7.3 shots from the three-point line per game. When it comes to stealing the ball away, the Rockets are one of the best in the league with an average of 9.5 steals per game. Houston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking third in points off turnovers with an average of 19.0 per game.
Washington beat Houston in their most recent meeting this season, but the Rockets still lead the head-to-head record over the last 10, 7-3 SU. The Wizards hold the advantage ATS with a record of 7-3. Houston held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers three times in the last 10, while Washington wasn’t able to do so in that span.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
The total has gone OVER in 6 of Washington’s last 9 games.
Washington is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Washington is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games.
Washington is 3-6 ATS in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Washington’s last 5 games at home.
Washington is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 8 of Washington’s last 12 games when playing Houston.
Washington is 4-15 SU in its last 19 games when playing Houston.
Washington is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games when playing at home against Houston.
On average, Houston scores 103.5 points per game (ranked seventh). Washington ranks ninth in points allowed per game with 97.8.
On average, Washington allows 96.5 points per home game. Houston averages 104.6 points per away game, ranking the team fourth in scoring.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Rockets are 32-3 on the season. When the Wizards score fewer than 100, they are a poor 16-25.
When the Houston Rockets allow at least 100 points they are 17-20, while the Washington Wizards are 25-7 when they reach the century mark.
The Rockets have an offensive rating of 103.6 (ranked 12th), while the Wizards rank ninth for their defensive rating of 100.6.
The Washington Wizards have one of the best field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with a FG% of 46.3%. When their opponents record a similar or higher FG%, the Houston Rockets have a losing 8-19 record.
The Washington Wizards rank higher for their field goal percentage (fourth) than they do for their effective field goal percentage (12th). The Houston Rockets rank higher for their effective field goal percentage (seventh) than they do for their field goal percentage (21st).
Washington makes an average of 23.8 assists per game (ranked sixth), while Houston makes 22.3 assists per game (ranked eighth).
The Washington Wizards average 4.6 blocks per game for a rank of 17th. The Houston Rockets rank higher (12th), earning 4.8 blocks each contest.
The Washington Wizards rank 20th in offensive rebounding, while the Houston Rockets rank 22nd in defensive rebounding.
The Houston Rockets earn an average of 9.5 steals per game and are ranked third. The Washington Wizards have a 15-14 record when they allow at least 9 steals.
