The San Antonio Spurs host the Houston Rockets for their second home game of the 2023-24 NBA season. It's time to continue our NBA odds series with a Rockets-Spurs prediction and pick.

Wednesday night saw the highly-anticipated NBA debut of Victor Wembanyama. It wasn't the debut many expected it to be, as the San Antonio Spurs rookie went through foul trouble for most of the game. Nonetheless, Wembanyama did save his best for last as he put together a scintillating fourth-quarter burst that showed just how special the French phenom could become. Unfortunately, the Spurs dropped their season opener to the Dallas Mavericks as Luka Doncic proved that, while most of the spotlight was on Wemby, he was still far and beyond the best player on the floor that night.

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets 2023-24 campaign couldn't have gotten off to a worse start as they lost by 30 points to the Orlando Magic in their season opener. There were no real positives to draw from Wednesday night's game other than Alperen Sengun's all-around performance. It wasn't an eye-popping line but he tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in 28 minutes of play. As a team, Houston shot just over 40 percent from the field. They also committed 19 turnovers and 24 fouls, while allowing the Magic to grab 17 offensive rebounds and score 54 points in the paint.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Rockets-Spurs Odds

Houston Rockets: +3 (-108)

San Antonio Spurs: -3 (-112)

Over: 225 (-110)

Under: 225 (-110)

How to Watch Rockets vs. Spurs

Time: 8:00 PM ET/ 5:00 PM PT

TV: Space City Home Network

Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Rockets Could Cover The Spread

The Houston Rockets are looking to be competitive this year following their massive offseason that saw them bring in several veterans like Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks and a couple of blue-chip rookies in Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore. However, that wasn't the case at all on Wednesday night.

The Rockets should hope they don't play a worse game than they did to open the campaign — because that loss to the Magic was as bad as it gets. Turnovers were one of Houston's main issues last season and that was same theme on opening night, where they committed 19 giveaways. They were also completely outworked by the Magic on the glass 57-31 and allowed 17 offensive boards to Orlando.

With a horrendous way to begin the new season, look for the Rockets to return to square one. This team has some depth across its roster. But with the new pieces coming in, it may take time for the players to gel and learn to play alongside each other. Nonetheless, the lack of familiarity shouldn't be an excuse to be blown out by 30 points. These guys are too competitive, so there's nothing else to expect for the Rockets than to just play better. Expect them to clean up the turnovers and try harder on the glass.

Fred VanVleet is a proven star in this league, so he should take it upon himself to guide and lead this team when they pay a visit to Frost Bank Center. Alperen Sengun, who is in line for a breakout campaign, should also carry the momentum from a strong opening game.

Why The Spurs Could Cover The Spread

As 1.5-point favorites, the San Antonio Spurs have a good chance to cover this spread. Though the Spurs failed to cover, they still gave Luka Doncic and the Mavericks all they can handle last Wednesday night. They threw the early haymakers and raced out to a 43-point first quarter, led by as much as 12 points, and controlled the majority of the game until Doncic took over in the fourth quarter.

As mentioned, Victor Wembanyama struggled with foul trouble throughout the game. But the 2023 No. 1 overall pick showed out in the fourth quarter, where he scored nine of his 15 points that helped tie the game for San Antonio with less than four minutes to go in the game.

Aside from Wemby's debut, there are other positives to draw from this outing for this young Spurs squad. Devin Vassell showed exactly why he deserved that five-year, $135 million extension as he led San Antonio with 23 points, five rebounds, and three assists on 9-of-17 shooting. Seven Spurs in total scored in double-figures as the team shot 51.7 percent from the field overall.

They did commit 19 turnovers, which is expected of a young team like the Spurs. Nonetheless, look for them to clean up their mistakes and take better care of the ball on Friday night.

Final Rockets-Spurs Prediction & Pick

The Spurs should be able to win and cover the spread in this one. They are coming off a competitive game versus one of the best scoring backcourts in the NBA in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Also, with a rather subpar debut, expect Wembanyama to show-out more in his second NBA game and really introduce himself as a force in the NBA.

Final Rockets-Spurs Prediction & Pick: San Antonio Spurs: -3 (-108), Under 228 (-110)