Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks 03/02/20 NBA Odds and Betting Prediction

The Houston Rockets continue their road trip with a matchup against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Monday night.

The Rockets are coming off a big road win over the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden on Saturday night. The win was Houston’s sixth consecutive victory and their 7th in their last 10 outings. The Rockets are currently in 4th place in the Western Conference team standings and are three games ahead of the Utah Jazz. The Knicks are out of playoff contention. New York is just 18-42 on the season and they have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference right now. The Knicks have won four out of their last six assignments heading to Monday’s game against the Rockets.

Big Win Over the Celtics

The Houston Rockets picked up a big win on Saturday night, defeating the Boston Celtics 111-110 in a thrilling game that went to overtime. The win was Houston’s sixth straight and it gave the Rockets a 3.5 games lead over the Dallas Mavericks in the Southwest Division team standings.

James Harden knocked down two free throws with 25 seconds left in overtime to give the Rockets the lead for good. Harden scored a total of 21 points in the game while Russell Westbrook unloaded 41 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists for Houston. The Rockets shot a dismal 15-55 from behind the three-point line on Saturday night.

Houston ranks second in the entire NBA in scoring at 118.8 points per game this season. They are 14th off the glass at 45.4 rebounds per game and are next to last when it comes to passing at only 21.4 assists per game. The Rockets rank 21st in scoring defense at 114.1 points per game allowed.

Big Night From Robinson

The New York Knicks ended a six-game losing streak after defeated the Chicago Bulls 125-115 at the Madison Square Garden on Saturday night. With only 20 games left in another dismal season, the Knicks leaned on a big night from reserve sophomore Mitchell Robinson to pull off the victory.

Robinson scored a career-high 23 points while also pulling down 10 rebounds. Julius Randle led the Knicks with 22 points plus 10 boards and rookie R.J. Barrett added 19 points. Second-year forward Kevin Knox provided the hustle and he finished with 12 points and six rebounds for New York which picked up its first win since February 8th in Detroit.

The Knicks rank next to last in scoring points at 104.7 per game this season. New York is 3rd from the bottom in passing at 21.7 assists per contest and they are also 19th in scoring defense at 111.8 points per game allowed. The Knicks are 7th in the NBA in rebounding at 46.3 boards grabbed per contest.

Who Wins?

The Rockets are 6-0 SU in their last six games played. Houston is 4-1 SU in their last five games played on the road. The Knicks are 1-6 SU in their last seven games played. New York is 6-14 SU in their last 20 games played at home. Head to head Houston is 9-1 SU in their last 10 games played against New York. The Rockets are also 9-0 SU in their last nine games against the Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Houston is playing well as of late and Mike D’Antoni’s small-ball gambit continues to work for them. James Harden and Russell Westbrook have been tearing apart the opposition. The two former MVPs have taken turns in leading the Rockets to six straight wins heading to this contest.

The Knicks are merely trying to complete the season. They are experimenting on line-ups and trying to get their young stars quality minutes. But there is nothing to look forward to except the draft lottery. New York is way down in the team standings and making the playoffs is a far-fetched dream right now.

New York is 9-20 SU at home this season. The Rockets are a solid 18-12 on the road this year. The Houston offense is clicking right now and when their two MVPs are locked in, the Rockets are hard to stop on offense. I think Houston has too much firepower here. New York will fall short at home against a high-powered Rockets offense.

Prediction: Houston Rockets

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Other Bets to Make

Houston is 4-1-1 ATS in their last six games played. The Rockets are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games played on the road, and 9-2-1 ATS in their last 12 games played against the Atlantic Division. New York is 2-4 ATS in their last six games played. The Knicks are 2-2 ATS in their last four games played at home, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games against the Western Conference, and 0-6 ATS in their last six games played in March. Head to head, the Knicks are 4-2 ATS in their last six games played against the Rockets.

I like the Rockets here. New York doesn’t have much on offense, especially after the buyout of Morris. The Rockets beat the Knicks by 11 points last February 24th and I don’t think the results will be much different here. Russell Westbrook has been on a tear and no one on the New York bench can stop him. James Harden continues to be lethal on offense and Houston simply has too much on offense for the Knicks’ defense. I like the Rockets to cover the spread here for as long as it’s not double digits.

Prediction: Rockets -10

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The total has gone under in six out of the last nine games played by the Rockets. The under is 5-1 in Houston’s last six games played on the road, and 12-5 in their last 17 games against the Eastern Conference. The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played by the Knicks. The under is 18-10-1 in New York’s last 29 games played at home. The over is 6-3 in the Knicks’ last nine Monday games. Head to head, the total has gone over in seven out of the last 10 meetings between these two teams.

These teams combined to score 235 points last February 24th and the Rockets have topped 120 points in four out of their last five games played while hitting the 230 total in those four games as well. New York doesn’t score too many points this season but with the Rockets, not a good defensive team this season at 21st overall, I think the Knicks will be able to score enough points to help Houston bring the total over 230 points.

Prediction: Over 230.5

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