A pair of teams that have been trending in opposite directions of late will go head-to-head in a pivotal matchup as the Houston Rockets battle it out with the Los Angeles Clippers at Crytpo.com Arena. Check out our NBA odds series where our Rockets-Clippers prediction and pick will be made.

At the surface level, it appears that the Rockets are finally starting to put together the pieces after a few years of misery at the bottom of the Western Conference Standings. Through the first nine games of the season, the Rockets have compiled a 6-3 record including boasting the longest winning streak in all of basketball with an active six-game winning streak. Will the Rockets ever lose again? Absolutely. But clearly, this team is headed in the right direction!

Meanwhile, could the Clippers be in trouble only ten games into the season? Once upon a time, it was Los Angeles that owned a 3-1 record, but ever since, the Clippers have lost six straight games and have yet to win since acquiring star James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers a couple of weeks back. With plenty of time left in the regular season to change the tide, can LA get back on track against Houston in front of the home fans?

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Rockets-Clippers Odds

Houston Rockets: +7.5 (-110)

Los Angeles Clippers: -7.5 (-110)

Over: 218.5 (-110)

Under: 218.5 (-110)

How to Watch Rockets vs. Clippers

Time: 10:30 ET/7:30 PT

TV: NBA League Pass

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Rockets Could Cover The Spread

If there is one thing that Houston has excelled in during the course of their winning streak, it has been the superb play of big man Alperen Sengun who is proving a case as the league's next best big man. At the ripe age of 21, Sengun has thus far put together the best start to a season in his career en route to 19.4 points per game to go along with an impressive 60% field-goal percentage which is the seventh-best mark in the league. As a whole, this is a Houston squad that is stacked with youthful talent that is already paying dividends in-game action.

Not only will Houston want to get their big man involved early and often, but the encouraging play of this defense overall is something to be ecstatic about for Rockets fans. Believe it or not, but the Rockets are only surrendering 105.8 points per game which is the third-best mark in the league. Keep in mind, this has been an incredible turnaround considering that it was only last year where the Rockets held the third-worst defensive rating in all of the NBA. Indeed, strides are being made, and the lousy Rockets of the past could very well be in the rearview mirror.

Why The Clippers Could Cover The Spread

Big yikes. Evidently, something needs to change in a hurry for this LA Clippers squad before slamming the panic button may be in order. Nevertheless, an adjustment period was to be expected for a team with so many ball-dominant superstars who aren't afraid to score at will.

While it remains to be seen whether this experiment works or not, Los Angeles did happen to take some encouraging steps in the right direction during their narrow loss to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday night. Throughout the contest, the one thing that the Clippers excelled at was their ability to play clean basketball while also getting clean looks on the offensive end of the floor. Even more so, LA was able to out-rebound Denver by a 42-36 margin and even shot 44% from way downtown. Simply put, these are all main ingredients that need to be cooked up in order for the Clippers to overcome the Rockets later tonight.

Most importantly, with the team insisting that they are close to putting things together, it's not like James Harden didn't show up for play against Denver. With 21 points on 7/15 shooting including 3/8 from deep, it does seem that Harden still has plenty of gas in the tank and is possibly starting to gel with his new teammates. Often described as a “cancerous player” by many members of the media and even his past teams that he played for, the former 2018 NBA MVP with Houston could be in store for a breakout game against his former squad. If this ends up being the case, then the Clippers will be in a tremendous position to cover their spread and finally snap their six-game losing streak.

Final Rockets-Clippers Prediction & Pick

Will the fresh-faced Houston Rockets continue their early-season terrorizing tear versus the Clippers or will Los Angeles finally put together a solid outing? Only time will tell, but it would be wise to side with the Clippers at home to overwhelm the Rockets with their veteran experience in crunch time.

Final Rockets-Clippers Prediction & Pick: Clippers -7.5 (-110)