The Houston Rockets have been a much better basketball team since shipping James Harden off to Brooklyn, going 8-5 straight up, but are a ho-hum 7-6 ATS over that stretch.
Will the Rockets be able to improve on that mark when they visit the Charlotte Hornets as 1.5-point NBA betting home favorites? Or will the Hornets keep buzzing and win their fifth game in their last seven tries?
Find out with our NBA free picks and predictions for Rockets vs. Hornets on Monday, February 8 with tipoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
Houston Rockets at Charlotte Hornets Betting Preview
Injuries
Rockets: John Wall G (Out), Eric Gordon G (Out), Christian Wood C (Out), Dante Exum G (Out).
Hornets: Devonte' Graham G (Questionable).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting Trend to Know
The Under is 14-5 in the Rockets' last 19 games versus a team with a losing straight-up record. Find more NBA betting trends for Rockets vs. Hornets.
NBA Sharp Money and Line Movement Report
By Patrick EversonHouston opened -1.5 and stretched to -3.5 this morning at FanDuel, then dipped to -1 and is now back at the opener, as of 4:30 p.m. ET. With the Rockets shorthanded (John Wall, Eric Gordon and others out), Charlotte is taking 53 percent of spread bets and 58 percent of spread money. The total initially rose from 222 to 224, but it's now down to 219.5, although ticket count is 3/1 and money 4/1 on the Over.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the Spread (ATS) Pick
The Rockets enter this matchup 8-5 (7-6 ATS) in the post-James Harden era, but have seen their offense struggle in dropping two of their last three games. But where Houston doesn’t have a problem is on defense.
Since Harden has left, the Rockets rank first in defensive rating, second in opponent field goal percentage and fifth in opponent scoring. It will go up against a Hornets offense that can score points, especially if they get hot from deep, but consistency has been a problem as they rank 19th in offensive rating and 21st in points per game.
Meanwhile, the Rockets are a middle of the road offensive team that is still trying to find its identity. But they are starting to find that chemistry in the backcourt with John Wall, Eric Gordon and Victor Oladipo still trying to mesh.
While Wall and Gordon sit this one out (rest), Oladipo will have some room to work against a Charlotte defense that while solid, does not defend the perimeter overly well with the likes of LaMelo Ball and Devonte' Graham (questionable for tonight) doing their best work on the offensive end.
With the Hornets playing the second half of a back-to-back, we like the Rockets’ edge on defense to carry them to a win and cover in this one.
PREDICTION: Rockets -1.5 (-110)
Over/Under Pick
That Rockets’ defense will carry us right into our next pick. Houston allows just 105.9 points per game in its 13 games without Harden and it is are particularly strong defending the 3-pointer. Houston is allowing opponents to shoot just 32.6 percent from beyond the arc over that stretch and despite the fact the Over is 4-1 in the Hornets’ last five games, if threes aren’t dropping for Charlotte it's going to have trouble scoring in this one.
And while the Rockets’ offense has been better without Harden (which is really telling about his attitude while he was still there), its 110.8 points per game ranks 20th over that 13-game stretch. With Charlotte being an average-at-worst defending team, this number has risen enough for us to go with the Under.
PREDICTION: Under 223.5 (-110)
Player Prop Pick
Oladipo is coming off one of his worst shooting nights as a member of the Rockets, going just 4-14 from the field against the Spurs, but he’ll have a chance to bounce back in this juicy matchup against the Hornets.
Despite the bad outing, Olapido is averaging 19.4 points since being traded and with no Wall and Gordon, he could eclipse his point total on volume alone in this one. Mix in the Hornets’ shaky defense against opposing guards, and Oladipo is a prime candidate to go Over his points total.
PREDICTION: Victor Oladipo Over 22.5 Points (-115)
Rockets vs Hornets Betting Card
- Rockets -2.5 (-110)
- Under 223.5 (-110)
- Victor Oladipo Over 22.5 Points (-115)
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