Heat vs. Rockets Pick
Are the Houston Rockets going to be lethargic tonight at home versus the Miami Heat coming off a huge win? Tip-off is at 8PM ET.
Who Oddsmakers Like: Houston. According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Rockets are established as a 9-point favorite on the spread line. The total has not yet been released.
Who the Public Likes: As of Monday morning, public betting info had yet to be released for this game.
Injury Report: Heat shooting guard Tyler Johnson has missed the last three games with an ankle sprain and is questionable for tonight. Goran Dragic missed the last game with a bruised knee and his status for tonight is unknown. Dion Waiters is out for the season after ankle surgery. Okaro White is out until the All-Star Break with a foot injury. Rodney McGruder is out until mid-April with a stress fracture in his leg. For the Rockets, Troy Williams has been out with a sprained MCL and is questionable tonight. Zhou Qi has missed the last four games with an elbow injury and is questionable tonight. Trevor Ariza and Gerald Green have both been suspended the last two games for a post-game incident, but are expected to return to action for tonight’s game.
Who the Trends Like: Miami is 1-4 ATS in the last five meetings in Houston. The over is 6-1 in the last seven meetings in Houston. Miami is 6-0 ATS in its last six games versus a team with a winning straight up record.
Who We Like: Houston showed it is back to where it was for much of this season at home Saturday night when it downed the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors by a count of 116-108. The Rickets are now an astounding 17-0 this season when James Harden, Chris Paul and Clint Capela have all been in the lineup together. Even so, I believe tonight’s game will stay close enough for Miami to cover. Not only are the Heat tough defensively and good at effectively slowing the pace, but they also step up their game against quality opponents. Expect a focused effort from Miami, while Houston has a bit of a letdown following its huge victory two nights ago.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: MIAMI HEAT +9
