Houston Rockets vs Minnesota Timberwolves 2/13/19 NBA Odds, Preview and Prediction

The Houston Rockets take their act to the Target Center to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night.

The Streak Continues

James Harden’s streak of 30-point games continues and is now at 30 and just one game shy of Wilt Chamberlain’s second longest streak ever. On Monday night, Harden only had 11 points at the half because of a shoulder injury but the reigning MVP heated up and finished with 31 as the Rockets beat the Dallas Mavericks 120-104 to move to 33-23 on the season.

Harden leads the league with 36.5 points per game while also grabbing 6.7 rebounds and issuing 7.8 assists per game. Chris Paul leads Houston with 8.0 assists while also scoring 15.6 points per game and swiping 2.1 steals per outing. New addition Kenneth Faried is contributing 16.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while Eric Gordon is scoring 16.2 points for the Rockets.

The Rockets are the 10th highest scoring team in the league right now at 113.2 points per game. They also have the 14th best scoring defense with 110.9 opponent points per game allowed. Houston is ranked 28th in passing with 20.7 assists per game and they are also 27th off the glass with 41.7 rebounds per outing.

Injuries Hurting Wolves

Injuries to key rotation players have hurt the Minnesota Timberwolves as of late. Jeff Teague missed games and Derrick Rose six out of seven games prior to returning in their last game while Robert Covington and Tyus Jones are still out of action. As a result, the Timberwolves have lost six out of their last eight games and have fallen to 26-30 this season.

Karl Anthony Towns leads Minnesota’s charge. The former #1 pick leads the team with 23.2 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. Derrick Rose is having a resurgent season with 18.4 points and 4.8 assists per game while Andrew Wiggins is scoring 17.4 points and grabbing 4.8 boards per contest. Jeff Teague leads Minnesota with 8.0 assists per game and he is also scoring 11.8 points per game.

The Timberwolves rank 16th overall in team scoring at 111.7 points per game. Minnesota is 16th in assists with 24.4 dimes dropped per contest. They are also ranked 18th off the glass with 45.0 rebounds per game. The Wolves are allowing opponents to score 111.7 points per game which is the 19th ranked scoring defense in the league this season.

Who Wins?

Houston is 7-3 SU in its last 10 games played. The Rockets are 4-1 SU in their last five games played on the road. Minnesota is 4-6 SU in its last 10 games played. The Timberwolves are 2-2 in their last four home games played. Head to head, the Rockets are 8-2 SU in their last 10 meetings against the Timberwolves.

The Rockets continue to thrive with James Harden’s heavy usage and 30-point streak. But you’ve got to think that this incredible run is taking its toll on Harden by now. In their last game, Harden played with a bothersome shoulder and played out of form in the first half. He did end up extending the streak but may be banged up and not 100% for this game. Chris Paul is slowly getting his game back and he may have to fast track his comeback with Harden compromised.

The Timberwolves were glad to have Jeff Teague and Derrick Rose together on the floor for the first time in 10 games. The two combined to lead Minnesota to victory against the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday night. Minnesota is still without Covington and Jones plus Wiggins is listed as day to day with an undisclosed illness and didn’t practice on Tuesday.

Minnesota beat Houston 103-91 at home last December 3rd but the Rockets were playing like a different team back then. The only concern in this game for Houston is how bad or not Harden’s shoulder issue is because if he can play through it like he did against Dallas, Houston is going to be fine here. The key for Minnesota will be getting Andrew Wiggins back. If Wiggins is a no-go, the Wolves might struggle to put up points against these fast paced Rockets. Minnesota is 18-10 SU at home this season and Houston is 13-14 SU on the road. I’m rolling with Harden whose been red hot for 30 games now.

I’m picking the Houston Rockets to beat the Minnesota Timberwolves on 2/13/19.

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Other Bets To Make

The Rockets are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. Houston is 2-3 ATS in its last five games on the road. The Timberwolves are 5-5 ATS in their last 10 games played. Minnesota is 1-3 ATS in their last four games played at home. Head to head, the Rockets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games versus the Timberwolves.

Houston is 13-6-1 ATS in its last 20 games against Western Conference teams and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games after a loss. Minnesota is 2-6 ATS in their last eight games against the Southwest Division, 1-5 ATS in their last six home games and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games overall. Houston’s on a roll because of James Harden’s 30-point streak and Kenneth Faried has been a good replacement for Clint Capela. Meanwhile, Wiggins may not be 100% for the Wolves as well so I’m going with the visitors here.

Prediction: Rockets -3 (-110)

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The over is 5-4-1 in the Rockets’ last 10 games played. The total has gone under in three out of the last five games played by Houston. The over is 4-1 in Minnesota’s last five games played. The total has gone over in four out of the last six home games played by the Timberwolves. Head to head, these teams have seen the total go over in three out of their last four encounters.

The over is 5-2-1 in the Rockets’ last eight games against the Western Conference and 9-2 in their last 11 against opponents with losing records. The over is also 20-7 in Minnesota’s last 27 games and in 10 out of their last 14 home games. The total has also gone over in 17 out of the last 23 meeting between these two teams and the over is also 5-1 in their last six encounters in Minnesota. You can’t go under in a game that has a scorer like James Harden.

Prediction: Over 227.5 -110

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