The Houston Rockets are coming off an electric OT win overall the Celtics in Boston. Now, they're on their way down to Atlanta to face an injury-riddled Hawks team. With both teams on the second night of a back-to-back, we’ll see what these teams are made of. As one of the best young teams in the East, take on an elite Houston team sitting at the top of the West. Tip-off is at 7:30 PM ET.
Jabari Smith Jr Out
Cam Whitmore Out
Dyson Daniels Questionable
Trae Young Questionable
Larry Nance Jr Questionable
Jalen Johnson Out
Cody Zeller Out
Houston is the clear-cut favorite tonight. They have dominated this season, earning their second spot in the West. This team has been getting better every week, too. Jalen Green has gone from an inefficient scorer with hustle to a great shooter with even more hustle. This team is bristling with talent beyond Green. Amen Thompson looks like a future 1st team All-Defense player, playing stifling defense against Jayson Tatum yesterday; he’s also been lighting up the offensive box scores. With 33 points against Boston and the game-winning basket in overtime, Thompson's trajectory is skyrocketing!
Atlanta will face an uphill battle. Although they match up well on paper, with all the injuries on the team, they might be far from fully powered. They’ll be without Jalen Johnson, and a handful of starters are listed as questionable. Despite being at home, Atlanta will be the underdogs tonight.
One area where the Hawks might excel tonight is in rebounding, thanks to the size of Capela in the paint and De’Andre Hunter on the wing. Houston has depended on their rebounding to prop up their poor shooting numbers. If Atlanta can limit Houston’s offensive rebounds and decrease their second-chance points, they might be able to keep this game close.
That may still not be enough, though. Houston has only improved this year. Playing with a degree of hustle and confidence you rarely see, Ime Ukoda has turned this team into a well-oiled machine capable of standing toe-to-toe with the best teams in the league.
Unfortunately for Atlanta, they’ve been far from the best team in the league. This will likely be a stomping from Houston if they continue their hot streak.
Money line: HOU (-238) / ATL (+195)
Total Points: 227
Spread: -6 HOU (-112) / +6 ATL (-108)
The smart money will be on the Rockets. With most of the starting lineup out for the Hawks tonight, they’ll struggle to stay in this one. Especially considering how dominant the Rockets have been, Atlanta doesn’t have the personnel to challenge such a deep team.
Both teams are on the second night of a back to back. We'll likely see a drop in shooting percentage on both sides. Regardless, this could be an ugly scoring matchup, as neither team is great at shooters anyway.
Stick with the better team here. Especially with Trae, Nance, and Daniels questionable, Atlanta will struggle if either Trae or Daniels is out. Even with both of them, they'll need strong nights to compete.
Amen Thompson 20+ Points (+135)
We have to take a shot at Amen’s alternate points tonight. He’s been incredible lately; coming off a 33-point outing last night, he’s been far more confident on offense. With back-to-back games over 20 points, the plus money on 20 points is solid.
Dillion Brooks 4+ Made Threes (+310)
Brooks was feeling it last night when he made 10 three-pointers. He was destroying the Celtics all night, and his shot was infallible. The alternate line for 4+ made threes seem steep, considering he averages 2.3 a game, but again, gotta play the hot hand. He’ll likely be more confident taking threes tonight than usual, and if he’s still hitting these plus odds are incredibly juicy.
Jalen Green Over 3.5 Turnover (+130)
Though Green only averages 2.4 turnovers a game, any game against Dyson Daniels can elevate that number. If Daniels' plays tonight expect him to be a menace against Green.
Zaccharie Risacher 2+ Assist (+145)
Risacher hasn’t been an assist magnet all year. He’s averaging just 1.6 a game, but with plus money on 2 assists and Johnson out, I like it. He had three in their last game, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility he could hit that again tonight!