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The NBA is finally back and we're ready to bring you our betting prediction and picks for each daily slate of action. This next game takes us to the Southwest Division as we'll see the Houston Rockets take on the San Antonio Spurs. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Rockets-Spurs prediction and pick.
The Houston Rockets lost their season opener 110-105 to the Charlotte Hornets and will host the Memphis Grizzlies before hitting the road to San Antonio. With a number of key players yet to make their debuts, the Rockets are looking for a sizable leap from their mark a season ago as they hope to take this first of four meetings against the Spurs this season.
The San Antonio Spurs opened their season with a 109-120 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. They were heavily outmatched by the Finals team from a year ago, but Victor Wembanyama continued his evolution as the new era with Chris Paul looked to be a promising one. They'll begin their mission of making the Playoffs for the first time in six seasons.
Here are the Rockets-Spurs NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Rockets-Spurs Odds
Houston Rockets: -1.5 (-114)
Moneyline: -126
San Antonio Spurs: +1.5 (-106)
Moneyline: +108
Over: 223 (-112)
Under: 223 (-108)
How To Watch Rockets vs Spurs
Time: 8:30 p.m. ET/ 5:30 p.m. PT
TV: Space City Home Network, NBA League Pass
Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)
Why the Rockets Could Cover the Spread/Win
The Houston Rockets looked good throughout most of their opener against the Charlotte Hornets, leading by as many as 14 points late in the third quarter. However, they were out-rebounded heavily in the second half of the game and couldn't stop the Hornets from scoring second-chance buckets. Alperen Sengun was stellar during the game, but it was clear the Rockets relied on him a bit too much to rebound the ball and start the fast break. Moving forward, look for the return of Dillon Brooks and Steven Adams from injury to add a whole new dimension to this team's defensive efforts.
Alperen Sengun vs Charlotte Hornets
25 PTS | 18 REB | 5 AST | 4 STL
Best $185 million ever spent. 💸🔥 pic.twitter.com/9oLQftRx85
— A Walking Highlight (@11AWH) October 24, 2024
Aside from Sengun's efforts, the Rockets are planning for yet another breakout year from Jalen Green as he continues to add new wrinkles to his game. He led the team with 28 points in their debut, but didn't record a single assist and only added two rebounds – he'll need to become a multifaceted passer and scorer for this Rockets team to truly take their next leap forward.
Why the Spurs Could Cover the Spread/Win
The San Antonio Spurs are back this season with NBA veteran Chris Paul leading the helm of this young team. It was apparent immediately that Chris Paul has taken a veteran leadership role with the Spurs and can coach their inexperienced lineup from the court. It was a typical game from Paul as he centered his focus on passing the ball with eight assists, but they'll need him to contribute as a scorer if they want to remain competitive against good teams. The good news: Victor Wembanyama is picking up right where he left off and has a chance to become one of the best defensive big men in the league.
The Spurs certainly gave the Mavericks a close game despite Klay Thompson's franchise record-setting performance from three. Wembanyama clearly had an impact on the Mavs' ability to penetrate the paint, so expect him to continue reading defenses and becoming a better defender with each passing game. They saw a solid performance with four starters scoring at least 17 points, but their bench will need to have an increased role if they want to close games out in the fourth quarter.
Final Rockets-Spurs Prediction & Pick
This will be an exciting season series given the positional matchup between Alperen Sengun and Victor Wembanyama. Wemby is already shying offenses away from driving the paint on him, so it'll be interesting to see how Sengun can flow his offensive game against the seven-footer.
We'll also see an exciting matchup as Chris Paul tries to contain Jalen Green on the defensive end. Both point guards love to work off the pick-and-roll, so it'll be interesting to see how the technique from San Antonio matches up against the athleticism of the Rockets' duo.
For our final prediction, we'll have to ride with the San Antonio Spurs to cover this betting spread. They look much more put together with Chris Paul leading the helm and it should open the door for a player like Jeremy Sochan to focus his efforts on rebounding the ball with his athleticism and energy.
Final Rockets-Spurs Prediction & Pick: San Antonio Spurs ML (+108)
