Back to Work
All the Houston Rockets’ eight-game winning streak has earned them is a three-way tie for seventh place in the Western Conference.
All that stands in their way of extending the run is the league’s best player and one of its hottest shooters.
Houston looks to win nine straight for the first time in nearly nine years on Tuesday when it hits the road to face All-Star game MVP LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Oddsmakers from Sportsbook.com have made Houston -1.5 point spread favorites (NBA Odds) for today’s game, the over/under has been set at 185 total points (Matchup). Our public betting information shows that 60% of bets for this game have been placed on Cleveland +1.5 (View NBA Bet Percentages).
The Rockets (32-20) last won nine in a row from March 16-30, 1999, during the NBA’s lockout-shortened campaign. Their current streak has them within 4 1/2 games of conference leaders New Orleans and Phoenix, but in the tightly packed West, they’re tied with Golden State and Denver for the seventh spot.
They’ve already beaten Cleveland (29-23) during the streak, 92-77 on Feb. 7, but that was against an injury-plagued Cavaliers squad that should be healthier this time around. Anderson Varejao (ankle) and Sasha Pavlovic (foot) remain out, but Drew Gooden and Daniel Gibson, who both missed that contest, are slated to play.
James is leading the league in scoring (30.3 points per game) and is averaging 7.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists, making him one of the leading contenders to win the NBA’s MVP award.
He took home his second award as MVP of the All-Star game on Sunday, scoring 27 points to go along with nine assists and eight rebounds as the East beat the West 134-128.
"I played well and I helped our team win the ballgame," James said. "It really means a lot to go out there and perform the way I was able to in front of the fans of New Orleans, in front of my family and for the Eastern Conference, because we really wanted this win."
James is averaging 32.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists in his last two meetings with Houston.
He wasn’t the only Cavalier to win MVP honors over the weekend, however. Gibson hit 11 3-pointers and scored 33 points in Friday’s rookie-sophomore game, then finished second in Saturday’s 3-point Shootout.
"I never dreamed I’d come out and shoot the ball as well as I did in an environment, an atmosphere like this," said Gibson, who is hitting 46.7 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.
The Cavaliers have lost back-to-back games at home, giving up 41 points in the fourth quarter Wednesday in falling 112-105 to San Antonio in a rematch of last season’s NBA finals. James had 39 points in the loss.
Houston’s perennial All-Star, Tracy McGrady, wasn’t selected to play in this year’s game, but his team is 12-1 since he returned from a knee injury on Jan. 19. He hasn’t played well lately – averaging just 11.3 points in his last four games – but his presence has given the Rockets a much-needed boost.
"We’re going into this break with a little swagger," McGrady said after Steve Novak’s 3-pointer lifted Houston over Sacramento 89-87 on Wednesday. "Hopefully we can come back the same way."
The Rockets are 24-13 with McGrady in the lineup and 8-7 without him this season.
Houston did have one All-Star playing on Sunday in Yao Ming. The NBA’s tallest player at 7-foot-6, Yao’s averaging 22.6 points and 11.3 rebounds during the win streak.
The Rockets have also won eight straight away from home, the second-longest streak in franchise history. They can tie the record, set by the 1993-94 squad, with a victory in Cleveland.
"I can’t wait," Yao said. "I feel pressure because we need to keep winning. Now is the time to keep our winning streak."
By: Marc Young – theSpread.com – Email Us
More NBA Basketball Coverage from theSpread.com
– NBA Basketball teams
– NBA Basketball standings
– NBA Basketball schedule
– NBA Basketball scoreboard
– NBA Basketball injuries
– NBA Basketball matchups
– NBA Basketball stats
– NBA Basketball odds
– NBA Basketball public betting chart
– NBA Basketball news wire
– NBA Basketball top stories
– NBA Basketball trends
– AccuScore NBA Basketball predictions
– Expert NBA Basketball picks
– Comments and discussion
– Signup for theSpread.com daily newsletter
– NBA Basketball Home
