San Antonio Spurs vs Houston Rockets 12/16/19 NBA Odds and Betting Preview

The San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets square off in this Southwest Division clash between two teams from Texas.

The Spurs have been the model of success in the NBA in the last two decades but they have not been successful at all this season with just a 10-15 record and are at third place in the Southwest Division. Meanwhile, head coach Mike D’Antoni has made the combination of James Harden and Russell Westbrook work. The two former OKC Thunder teammates have led the Rockets to a 17-9 record, second in the Southwest Division and just one-half game behind the Dallas Mavericks in the divisional standings. The Spurs beat the Rockets 135-133 in their first meeting of the season but the Rockets are the NBA betting favorites in this contest.

Four Straight OT Games

Patty Mills’ jump shot from the free-throw line area gave the San Antonio Spurs a 121-119 win over the Phoenix Suns in Mexico City on Saturday night. The win was San Antonio’s third in their last four games with each of the four games going to overtime. With that game, the Spurs became the first team in NBA history to play in four consecutive overtimes games.

DeMar DeRozan leads the Spurs with 21.2 points and 4.7 assists per game while LaMarcus Aldridge is putting up 18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Bryn Forbes, Patty Mills, and Rudy Gay are also contributing double-digit scoring this season. Dejounte Murray is averaging 9.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and a team-high 1.7 steals per game.

San Antonio ranks 13th in the league in scoring at 111.9 points per game and they are 9th in rebounding at 46.3 boards grabbed per contest. The Spurs also rank 14th in assists at 24.3 dimes issued per outing. San Antonio is allowing the 6th most points in the league this season at 115.6 points per game.

Harden Cools Off

After going off for back to back 50-point games in consecutive road wins for the Houston Rockets, 2018 NBA MVP James Harden cooled-off on Saturday night as the Rockets dropped an eight-point loss to the Detroit Pistons. Harden scored “only” 39 points against Detroit as the Rockets absorbed their second loss in their last four games.

Harden is the NBA’s leading scorer at 39.3 points per game this season. He also leads the Rockets in passing at 7.5 assists per game while also grabbing 5.9 boards per contest and averaging 2.0 steals per game. Russell Westbrook is scoring 22.5 points while grabbing 8.0 rebounds and issuing 7.3 assists per game. Clint Capela is having a double-double season with 13.9 points and 14.5 rebounds per game.

Houston is the 2nd highest-scoring team in the league at 120.1 points per game this season. They also rank 5th in the NBA in rebounding at 47.7 boards grabbed per contest and they are 25th in passing at 21.7 assists per game. The Rockets are in the bottom 10 in the NBA in scoring defense at 114.6 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

San Antonio is 5-12 SU in their last 17 games played. The Spurs are 3-11 SU in their last 14 games played on the road. The Rockets are 14-6 SU in their last 20 games played. Houston is 15-5 SU in their last 20 games played at home. Head to head, the Rockets are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played against the Spurs. Houston is also 5-1 SU in their last six home games against the Spurs.

San Antonio took Sunday off after winning in Mexico City against the Suns but despite the rest, remember that this team has played in four consecutive overtime games. One of those games was a win over the Rockets which Houston protested over a James Harden dunk which officials ruled as a missed dunk. Overall, the Spurs are just a mediocre 4-4 SU in their last eight games played.

The Rockets are coming off a loss to the Detroit Pistons at home. But Houston is 9-4 SU at the Toyota Center this season. James Harden has averaged 40 points per game in his last 10 games played and has two 50-point nights in his last three outings. Russell Westbrook sat out the loss to Detroit but should be back for this contest against the Spurs.

The Spurs are not having the kind of season that we see typically from a Gregg Popovich squad. This team is five games below the .500 mark. Meanwhile, the Beard and Brodie combination has worked for Mike D’Antoni. The Rockets should have Westbrook back and they should be able to take care of the Spurs on Monday night.

Prediction: Houston Rockets

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Other Bets to Make

The Spurs are 4-12-1 ATS in their last 17 games played. San Antonio is 3-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games played on the road, and 2-7-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Western Conference. The Rockets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games played. Houston is 6-7 ATS in their last 13 games played at home, and 1-5 ATS in their last six games played against the Western Conference. Head to head, the Rockets are 5-4-1 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Spurs.

The Rockets have outscored the Spurs by an average of 4.67 points per game in their last three head to head meetings. San Antonio is 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog while Houston is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games after suffering an ATS loss. The Rockets have been solid at home while the Spurs are below .300 on the road this season. Houston is coming off a sour loss to the Pistons and would want to get back on track.

Prediction: Rockets -9.5

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The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by San Antonio. The over is 7-4 in the Spurs’ last 11 games played on the road. The total has gone under in four out of the last six games played by the Rockets. The under is 4-2 in Houston’s last six games played in December, but the over is 4-2 in their last six Monday games. Head to head, the total has gone under in six out of the last eight meetings between the Spurs and Rockets.

These teams have combined to score an average of 231.0 points per game in their last three games, including a total of 268 points in their first meeting of the season last December 3rd at San Antonio. Both these teams play an uptempo style this season and neither plays good defense. The Spurs and Rockets are giving up at least 114 points per game this season and they scored a total of 268 points earlier this month.

Prediction: Over 233

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