The Houston Rockets finally picked up their first win Monday night against the Toronto Raptors after losing 20 games straight before that game. The Rockets will look to build off their first win in a while as they host the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday night. With that said, it’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Hornets-Rockets prediction and pick.
The Hornets have won six of their last 10 games and currently sit fifth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 21-21. Charlotte will be without their star rookie LaMelo Ball for the rest of the season as they continue to fight for a playoff spot.
The Rockets are coming off a big win against the Raptors after losing 20 games straight. They're currently in the 14th seed in the Western Conference with a record of 12-30.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Hornets-Rockets odds.
NBA Odds: Hornets-Rockets Odds
Charlotte Hornets -3.5 (-109)
Houston Rockets +3.5 (-111)
Over 223.5 Points (-105)
Under 223.5 Points(-115)
Why The Hornets Could Cover The Spread
The Hornets are now without one of their key pieces in LaMelo Ball who has posted averages of 15.9 points, 6.1 assists, and 5.9 rebounds per game this season.
This is a huge loss for the Hornets and they will need Devonte' Graham to fill Ball's place.
Graham, who was being considered as the Most Improved Player last year, has been having a disappointing season so far, averaging 13.1 points, 5.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds with terrible efficiency too.
In addition to Graham stepping up, the Hornets will need Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier to handle the ball more and make an even bigger presence on the offensive end of the floor as both scorers and facilitators.
The duo for the Hornets has combined for 40.6 points, 7.5 assists, and 9.4 rebounds per game this season while shooting over 45 percent from the floor.
The struggle of the Rockets has not gone unnoticed. However, with a healthy John Wall, Victor Oladipo, and Wood back, the Rockets are very much capable of scoring. That said, the poorly defensive rated Hornets team will need to bring a bit more intensity when guarding one of the Houston stars.
The two keys for the Hornets to cover the spread Wednesday night against the Rockets is to fill the offensive void left by Ball, whether that be Graham or Malik Monk, or a collection of players off the bench. Secondly, they need to increase their intensity on the defensive end of the floor.
Why The Rockets Could Cover The Spread
The Rockets are just having a terrible season after the James Harden trade and several star players in Wall, Oladipo, and Wood being out due to injury.
Now that these players are back on the floor and slowly working their way back to full health, the Rockets battled to finally get their first win against the Raptors.
When healthy, the Rockets are definitely a dangerous team with their three stars.
Wall so far this season has put up 21.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.5 rebounds while shooting about 40 percent from the field. Meanwhile, Oladipo has also put up some big numbers this season for the Rockets, averaging 21.2 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.8 rebounds.
The consistent star for the Rockets who has really gotten the chance to shine this season is Wood. I just 30 minutes per game, Wood has averaged 21.9 points, 1.4 assists, and 9.8 rebounds. If Wood can stay healthy, he will be a tough big man to stop in the league.
On top of the return of the offensive production from their stars, the Rockets also look to build on their 12th-best defensive rating in the NBA.
If we can see a healthy Wall, Oladipo, and Wood, the Rockets will have a good shot at covering the spread against the Hornets who are also without Cody Zeller.
Final Hornets-Rockets Prediction & Pick
It's very unfortunate that the Rockets are disrespected in the league right now and not even because of the injuries they have gone through. With a healthy Wall, Oladipo, and Wood, the Rockets are a dangerous and very talented team. The Rockets should cover the spread and their stars should all have big performances against the Hornets.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR HORNETS-ROCKETS: CHA 110, HOU 116 (HOU +3.5)
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