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The red hot James Harden and his Houston Rockets Head to the Mecca of Hoops to take on the New York Knicks on Wednesday night.
Harden has scored 30 or more points in 20 straight games to become the only player in NBA history other than Wilt Chamberlain to accomplish the feat.
Hit By Injury Bug
Sure, Harden has been on a historic scoring run but the Rockets have failed to lift off lately after being bitten by the injury bug again. Houston is already without Chris Paul and now they are without defensive anchor Clint Capela who is out with a thumb injury. With two starters out, the Rockets have lost three out of their last five but are glad to be facing a light assignment on Wednesday.
Houston is 13th in the league in team scoring at 112.2 points per game. The Rockets are also ranked 28th in passing at 21.1 assists per game and 25th in rebounding at 41.9 rebounds per contest. The Rockets also own the 15th ranked scoring defense in the NBA, allowing opponents to score 110.8 points per game.
Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks 1/23/19
Moneyline Odds: Rockets -280, Knicks +240
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/23/19
Struggling For Wins
The New York Knicks are really struggling to find wins these days. New York has dropped 14 out of its last 15 games and enter this game on a six game losing streak. The Knicks are 10-35 on the season and if there’s someone they are chasing, it’s probably the Cleveland Cavaliers for the worst record in the league.
New York is 23rd in the league in scoring at only 107.2 points per game. The Knicks are ranked 20th in rebounding at 44.4 boards per game and they are last in passing with 19.9 dimes per contest. New York is allowing their opponents to score 115.7 points per game which is the third worst scoring defense in the entire NBA.
Who Wins?
The Rockets are 5-5 SU in their last 10 games played. Houston is 1-3 SU in four road games during that span. The Knicks are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games overall. New York is 0-3 SU at the Madison Square Garden over that period. Head to head, the Rockets are 9-1 SU in their last 10 games against the Knicks.
Austin Rivers has fit well in the Rockets’ offensive system and he helps make up for CP3’s absence. Houston is hoping the arrival of Kenneth Faried also does the same for their defense. Faried scored 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in his Rockets debut. D’Antoni hopes to squeeze more from the Manimal in the coming games.
As for New York, there’s nothing much to talk about until Kristaps Porzingis returns. The Latvian unicorn has been making progress but no timetable for his return has been set. Even then, New York is out of the playoff equation and may be best for them not to rush Porzingis’ return. That said, chasing the Bulls for the worst record may be coach Fizdale’s best course of action. With the likes of Zion Williamson probably entering June’s draft, the Knicks could get a second cornerstone by simply losing games.
I’m picking the Houston Rockets to beat the New York Knicks on 1/23/19.
Other Bets To Make
Interestingly, the Knicks have a better ATS record than the Rockets in their last 10 games as New York is 5-5 ATS and Houston at 4-6 ATS. The Rockets are 1-3 ATS in four road games over that stretch while the Knicks are 1-2 ATS at home over that period. Head to head, these teams have split their last 10 meetings at 5-5 ATS.
Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks 1/23/19
Spread Odds: Rockets -7 (-109), Knicks +7 (-109)
Odds from gtbets.eu as of 1/23/19
The Rockets are 5-1 ATS in their last six games after a straight up loss. The Knicks are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against teams with a losing road record. New York is also 1-8 ATS in their last nine home games overall. Houston is short on manpower right now with two starters on sick bay. Even then, with James Harden leading the charge, the Rockets are poised to take this one over the Knicks.
Prediction: Rockets -7
The total has gone over in six out of the last 10 games played by the Rockets. The over and under are split at 2-2 in Houston’s last four road games played. The over and under are also at an even 5-5 in the Knicks’ last 10 games played. The over is 2-1 in the Knicks’ last three home games.
Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks 1/23/19
Over/Under Odds: Over 227-109, Under 227 -109
Odds from betonline.ag as of 1/23/19
New York is averaging just 103 points per game in their last five games played and while they are also woeful on defense, the Rockets are missing key players that affect their scoring. Likewise, they may opt to rest their key contributors once this game is in the bag because they have a Friday date with the Toronto Raptors. With Harden averaging nearly 50 points per game, that 227 total looks easy. But then again, Houston has suffered injuries early in the season. D’Antoni won’t risk his remaining players in a rather easy game.
Prediction: Under 227
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