The NBA betting board tonight features the revenge game of all revenge games, as John Wall and the Houston Rockets take on Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards.
Wall and the Rockets won the first "revenge" games at home three weeks ago, but which of these players will come away with the victory in Round 2 – this time in D.C. – against their former team?
NBA odds seem to think Houston will prevail again, but see how we think things will play out in our free NBA picks and predictions for Rockets vs. Wizards on Monday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Houston Rockets at Washington Wizards betting preview
Injuries
Rockets: Victor Oladipo G (Out), Christian Wood F (Out), Dante Exum G (Out).
Wizards: Ish Smith G (Out), Thomas Bryant C (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Rockets are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games. Find more NBA betting trends for Rockets vs. Wizards.
NBA sharp money and line movement report
By Patrick EversonFanDuel opened this game Washington -1.5 Sunday night and jumped the fence straight to Houston -1.5 this morning, with the Rockets subsequently going to -1 a couple of times but now sitting at -2. That said, it's two-way action with a lean toward the Wizards, who are attracting 52 percent of bets and money on the spread. The total is out to 231.5 from a 227.5 opener, but the betting splits aren't reflecting that move, with 55 percent of tickets and money on the Under.
Check out the full line movement for this gameAgainst the spread (ATS) pick
The Wizards have really been disappointing this season, with the worst part about them is they just don’t show up to compete every night. As evidenced by their 13-point win over the Boston Celtics on Sunday, there’s clearly some talent here—Washington just needs to start doing a better job of competing on the defensive end on a nightly basis.
Only four teams in the league have a worse defensive rating than the Wizards, but if there’s any silver lining at all, it’s that Scott Brooks’ team is 4-5 both SU and ATS in their last nine games. That’s an improvement over a miserable start to the year, and Washington now faces a Rockets team that they should be able to beat—even with Russell Westbrook, who started the day listed as questionable, in the lineup for his first back-to-back of the season.
The Rockets had been playing well after trading James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, but they have now lost five games in a row—and failed to cover in any of them. Houston’s defense in those games was nonexistent, as the Rockets have a defensive rating of 117.8 during this losing streak. Now, they have to go on the road and win with a number of guys still injured, and they have to do so against Bradley Beal, who is averaging 32.9 points per game—and often does it against defenses that are a lot more organized than this one.
For what it’s worth, Washington is also 23-8 ATS when playing on back-to-back days since the start of the 2018-19 season.
PREDICTION: Wizards +1.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
Even with a bunch of good offensive players absent from this game, it’s best not to get cute when these two teams are playing.
Despite Houston being fourth in the NBA in defensive rating, this group has completely slipped on that end of the floor as of late. The Rockets are now as beatable as anyone, which is why they allowed 121 points against the Knicks on Saturday...and New York is one of the worst offensive teams in basketball.
Meanwhile, Washington has struggled to get stops all year, so this is just a game that should be up-and-down, with neither team showing a true desire to lock in and get stops.
PREDICTION: Over 227.5 (-110)
Player prop pick
Even if the Rockets end up losing this game, look for John Wall to go out of his way to try to score the basketball.
Wall was traded away from Washington, a city he loved playing for, and he was emotional about the deal afterward. He’s going to feel like he has a lot to prove when he gets out there for this one, so that is likely going to lead to him jacking up shots—even if they’re bad ones.
Wall might not score the ball efficiently here, but it’s hard to imagine him playing passively in this one.
PREDICTION: John Wall Over 24.5 Points (-110)
Rockets vs Wizards betting card
- Wizards +1.5 (-110)
- Over 227.5 (-110)
- John Wall Over 24.5 Points (-110)
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