The Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks will square off in a season-opening NBA matchup at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta on Wednesday night. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Rockets-Hawks prediction and pick, laid out below.
The Houston Rockets finished with the worst record in the NBA at 20-62 but missed out on the top pick due to the lottery system. Stephen Silas returns for his third season as the head coach of the Houston Rockets, going just 37-117 in his two previous seasons.
Atlanta ended the 2021-22 season with a record of 43-39, before falling in five games to the Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Nate McMillan has been a great head coach in the regular seasons but has fallen to twenty games under .500 during the playoffs.
Here are the Rockets-Hawks NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Rockets-Hawks Odds
Houston Rockets: +10 (-110)
Atlanta Hawks: -10 (-110)
Over: 234 (-108)
Under: 234 (-112)
Why The Rockets Could Cover The Spread
Houston's leading scorer Christian Wood was traded to the Dallas Mavericks this summer, leaving a hole in the offense. Jalen Green was second on the team in scoring with 17.3 points per game, with a 43 percent shooting percentage. Green shot at a 34 percent clip from three-point range. Kevin Porter, Jr. led the team with 6.2 assists per game, adding 15.6 points per game. Eric Gordon made three-pointers at a 41 percent rate, which led the team and also averaged 13.4 points per game. TyTy Washington and Jabari Smith, the two rookies that should see significant time for Houston this season.
Smith, the former Auburn star, was in contention to go first overall, and slid to the third pick, falling right into Houston's laps. Washington was acquired in a whirlwind of trades around the draft, and should run the offense. Smith, a six-foot-ten-inch forward with envious athleticism, will be the key to the offense. Houston averaged 109.7 points per game and allowed 118.2 points per game. Houston allowed the most points per game in the league last season.
Why The Hawks Could Cover The Spread
The good news for Atlanta is that Trae Young is still suiting up for the team. Young averaged 28.4 points per game and 9.7 assists per game last season, both totals which paced the team. Young is a certified superstar, capable of elevating the talent around him. Center Clint Capela is coming off five straight seasons of averaging a double-double and will continue to be a force in the paint in the 2022-23 season. Forward John Collins ranked second on the team with 16.2 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. Kevin Huerter has provided a solid three-point option, shooting a career-best 39 percent from behind the arc in the 2021-22 season.
Bogdan Bogdanovic ranked third on the team with 15.1 points per game last season. De'Andre Hunter averaged 13.4 points per game last season, shooting 44 percent from the field. Somewhere in the equation, rookie AJ Griffin, the sixteenth pick in the draft, will fit into the equation. The athletic rookie from Duke can score and spread the floor equally well. Griffin will likely come off the bench to begin his career. Atlanta averaged 113.9 points per game while surrendering 112.4 points per game to their opponents.
Final Rockets-Hawks Prediction & Pick
Atlanta is simply the better team in this matchup.
Final Rockets-Hawks Prediction & Pick: Atlanta -10 (-110), over 234 (-108)
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