NBA odds: Houston Rockets good play as 8-point favorites at Atlanta

The last time the Houston Rockets played the Atlanta Hawks, they nearly hung up 160 points. If you’re looking for NBA odds Wednesday, take the Rockets and lay the 8.

It’s not much of an exaggeration to wonder if the Houston Rockets scored again on the Atlanta Hawks from their matchup deep in the heart of Texas at the end of November. The Rockets ran roughshod on the Hawks in a 158-111 victory that is tied for the third-largest margin in the NBA this season. If you want an NBA odds play for Wednesday, Houston is the way to go.

Yes, the Rockets are on the road and yes, Houston is an eight-point favorite on the road. But since that Nov. 30 meeting, here’s the thing … Atlanta hasn’t gotten markedly better as a defensive team, ranked 28th in the NBA with a defensive rating of 113.2. The Rockets are second in the NBA with an offensive rating of 114.1. That’s a bad combination for the Hawks.

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It would be unfair, however, to say Atlanta hasn’t improved a bit defensively since that bloodletting in Houston, because it has … just not, you know, a lot. Their defensive rating since that Nov. 30 pummeling is 111.4, an improvement of 1.8 points per 100 possessions. That ranks 22nd in the NBA over that span.

The Rockets are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight games, while Atlanta is 2-2 ATS in their last four at home. But the Hawks are just 3-8 ATS in their last 11 meetings at home against Houston. And it’s not as if the Rockets aren’t accustomed to covering a big spread against Atlanta … they were favored by 14 on Nov. 30 and covered by more than three times that number.

Houston will be resting Russell Westbrook, as this is the front end of a road back-to-back for the Rockets. Westbrook will play Thursday night at Oklahoma City (which could be quite a show). Think of Wednesday night in the ATL as the warmup act for the main event.

Houston Rockets at Atlanta Hawks

TV: AT&T SportsNet-Southwest (Rockets), Fox Sports Southeast-Atlanta (Hawks)
Tickets: State Farm Arena, 7:30 p.m. local (7:30 p.m. Eastern)
Records: Houston 24-11 (18-17 ATS, 9-9 road ATS), Atlanta 8-29 (16-21 ATS, 9-8 home ATS)

Availability reports (as of 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday)
Houston: OUT–Michael Frazier (two-way, G League), Gerald Green (left cuneiform fracture), Nene Hilario (left adductor strain), William Howard (two-way, G League), Russell Westbrook (rest).
Atlanta: OUT–Charlie Brown (two-way, G League), Bruno Fernando (personal), Jabari Parker (right shoulder impingement).

As for the rest of Wednesday’s nine-game NBA schedule:

San Antonio Spurs at Boston Celtics

TV: Fox Sports Southwest-San Antonio (Spurs), NBC Sports Boston (Celtics)
Tickets: TD Garden, 7 p.m. local (7 p.m. Eastern)
Records: San Antonio 15-20 (13-21-1 ATS, 7-7-1 road ATS), Boston 25-9 (20-12-2 ATS, 9-6-1 home ATS)

Availability report
San Antonio: OUT–Drew Eubanks (two-way, G League), Keldon Johnson (G League), Chimezie Metu (G League), Luka Samanic (G League), Quinndary Weatherspoon (two-way, G League).
Boston: OUT–Romeo Langford (illness), Vincent Poirier (right pinkie fracture), Robert Williams (left hip, bone edema); QUESTIONABLE–Daniel Theis (soreness, left side of neck), Kemba Walker (illness).

Notable: The Boston Celtics are 1-1 in their last two games, both straight up and ATS, with Kemba Walker sidelined by an illness. They may have their All-NBA point guard back when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The Spurs are coming off a home-and-home split with Milwaukee, going 2-0 ATS in the process.

It’s part of a general improvement trend San Antonio has seen for bettors recently, as the Spurs are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games and 4-0-1 ATS in their last five on the road. Boston, conversely, has gone just 2-4 ATS in its last six and have covered just twice in their last five games at TD Garden. The Celtics blasted the Spurs 135-115 in San Antonio on Nov. 9.

Toronto Raptors at Charlotte Hornets

TV: SportsNet1 (Raptors), Fox Sports Southeast-Charlotte (Hornets)
Tickets: Spectrum Center, 7 p.m. local (7 p.m. Eastern)
Records: Toronto 24-13 (19-16-1 ATS, 9-8 road ATS), Charlotte 15-24 (18-20-1 ATS, 8-11 home ATS)

Availability report
Toronto: Not required to submit report until 1 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday. In their 101-99 loss to the Trail Blazers on Tuesday, Toronto did not have Marc Gasol (left hamstring strain), Dewan Hernandez (right ankle sprain), Norman Powell (left shoulder subluxation), Pascal Siakam (groin strain) or Fred VanVleet (right hamstring strain).
Charlotte: QUESTIONABLE–Marvin Williams (nasal fracture).

Notable: The Toronto Raptors are on a SEGABABA after a last-second loss at home Tuesday to the Trail Blazers, but are 4-1 ATS in their last five road games. The Charlotte Hornets have not been as good a bet lately, going 2-5 ATS in their last seven, while going 1-3-1 ATS in their last five games at Spectrum Center.

The teams have played once this season, with the Raptors blowing out Charlotte 132-96 in Toronto on Nov. 18. The Hornets had Toronto’s number prior to that November matchup, going 2-1 straight up and ATS over their last three meetings and have still won 11 of the last 15 meetings between the Eastern Conference foes.

Miami Heat at Indiana Pacers

TV: Fox Sports Sun (Heat), Fox Sports Indiana (Pacers)
Tickets: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, 7 p.m. local (7 p.m. Eastern)
Records: Miami 26-10 (21-14-1 ATS, 8-9-1 road ATS), Indiana 23-14 (19-15-3 ATS, 10-6-3 home ATS)

Availability report
Miami: OUT–Daryl Macon (two-way, G League), KZ Okpala (G League); QUESTIONABLE–Justise Winslow (lower back, bone bruise); PROBABLE–Jimmy Butler (lower back soreness).
Indiana: OUT–Naz Mitrou-Long (right ankle sprain), Victor Oladipo (right knee rehab); QUESTIONABLE–Malcolm Brogdon (sore lower back), Domantas Sabonis (sore left knee).

Notable: After being pure gold for the first two months of the season, the Miami Heat have regressed to the mean just a touch over the last two weeks, going 2-5 ATS in their last seven games, even as they have won five of those contests straight up. The Indiana Pacers have been up-and-down, going 2-3 ATS and straight up in their last five games.

These teams met in Miami on Dec. 27, with the Heat getting a 113-112 victory and Indiana covering as five-point underdogs. That follows the recent trend between these teams, as Miami is 0-5 ATS over its last five matchups with the Pacers. The Heat last covered against Indiana in a road win on Jan. 10, 2018 … so, yeah, it’s been awhile.

Washington Wizards at Orlando Magic

TV: NBC Sports Washington (Wizards), Fox Sports Florida (Magic)
Tickets: Amway Center, 7 p.m. local (7 p.m. Eastern)
Records: Washington 12-24 (18-17-1 ATS, 10-8-1 road ATS), Orlando 17-20 (16-19-2 ATS, 8-11-1 home ATS)

Availability report
Washington: OUT–Davis Bertans (right quad strain), Thomas Bryant (stress reaction, right foot), Rui Hachimura (groin), Garrison Mathews (sprained right ankle), C.J. Miles (left wrist surgery), Moritz Wagner (sprained left ankle), John Wall (left Achilles rehab); QUESTIONABLE–Bradley Beal (lower right leg soreness).
Orlando: OUT–Al-Farouq Aminu (right knee, torn meniscus), Michael Carter-Williams (left shoulder, AC joint sprain), Jonathan Isaac (left knee, posterior lateral corner injury/medial bone contusion).

Notable: The Washington Wizards added another name to their lengthy injury report after two-way player Garrison Mathews sprained an ankle in their stunning win over the Celtics on Monday. The Orlando Magic have covered four of their last six games at home, but are just 2-6 ATS in their last eight against the Wizards at Amway Center.

Bradley Beal is questionable for Washington, which somehow beat the Nuggets and Celtics in back-to-back games and are 3-2 straight up in its last five games, with the other win being a blowout of the Heat. This is the final meeting of the season between the teams, with the Magic 3-0 straight up and 2-1 ATS in those encounters.

Denver Nuggets at Dallas Mavericks

TV: Altitude Sports (Nuggets), Fox Sports Southwest-Dallas (Mavericks), ESPN (national)
Tickets: American Airlines Center, 6:30 p.m. local (7:30 p.m. Eastern)
Records: Denver 25-11 (15-18-3 ATS, 8-8-1 road ATS), Dallas 23-13 (19-16-1 ATS, 7-11-1 home ATS)

Availability report
Denver: OUT–Will Barton (personal), Bol Bol (left foot injury management), Jarred Vanderbilt (G League); PROBABLE–Paul Millsap (left knee contusion).
Dallas: OUT–Ryan Broekhoff (left fibula fracture), Kristaps Porzingis (right knee soreness), Isaiah Roby (G League).

Notable: A weird 6:30 p.m. local time start for this one to accommodate the game being televised nationally by ESPN and that could make things sloppy in the early going. The Denver Nuggets are just 3-6-1 ATS in their last 10 games, but have split their road games 3-3 ATS. The Dallas Mavericks have been a bad bet at home lately, going just 1-5-1 ATS in their last seven there.

The first time these teams met, the Mavericks came away with a 109-106 straight-up victory as five-point underdogs in Denver. But Dallas will be without Kristaps Porzingis for a fifth straight game because of a sore right knee, with the Mavericks 2-2 so far while he’s been out (1-2-1 ATS over those four games).

Chicago Bulls at New Orleans Pelicans

TV: NBC Sports Chicago (Bulls), Fox Sports New Orleans (Pelicans)
Tickets: Smoothie King Center, 7 p.m. local (8 p.m. Eastern)
Records: Chicago 13-24 (18-18-1 ATS, 9-7-1 road ATS), New Orleans 12-25 (16-18-2 ATS, 9-9 home ATS)

Availability report
Chicago: OUT–Wendell Carter Jr. (right ankle sprain), Otto Porter (left foot fracture), Max Strus (left knee, ACL injury); PROBABLE–Ryan Arcidiacono (right elbow discomfort), Daniel Gafford (left ankle sprain), Lauri Markkanen (left ankle sprain), Adam Mokoka (right eyelid swelling).
New Orleans: OUT–Zylan Cheatham (two-way, G League), Josh Gray (two-way, G League), Jrue Holiday (left elbow, tricep strain), Darius Miller (right Achilles surgery), Zion Williamson (right knee scope).

Notable: The Chicago Bulls are scuffling a bit of late, with five losses in their last six games and a 1-4-1 ATS mark in that span. The New Orleans Pelicans, on the other hand, have been money in the bank over their last seven games, going 6-0-1 ATS.

This will be the first meeting of the season between these teams and the Pelicans have not been great at home in this series (1-9-1 ATS in their last 11 meetings with Chicago in NOLA). The Bulls have been fire on the road in their last eight games, going 6-1-1 ATS. So there’s a lot of conflicting data here. Might be best to stay away … far away.

New York Knicks at Utah Jazz

TV: MSG (Knicks), AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Jazz)
Tickets: Vivint Smart Home Arena, 7 p.m. local (9 p.m. Eastern)
Records: New York 10-27 (19-18 ATS, 11-9 road ATS), Utah 24-12 (18-18 ATS, 8-8 home ATS)

Availability report
New York: Not required to submit report until 3 p.m. Eastern. In Tuesday night’s 117-87 loss at Los Angeles, the Knicks were without Ignas Brazdeikis (inactive), Marcus Morris (sore neck), Ivan Rabb (two-way, G League) and Dennis Smith Jr. (left oblique strain)..
Utah: OUT–Mike Conley (left hamstring strain).

Notable: A red-hot Utah Jazz team is hosting a New York Knicks team on a road-road SEGABABA coming off a 30-point loss Tuesday night to the Lakers in L.A. The Jazz have won six straight games straight up and are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games. New York has gone 4-2 ATS in its last six games, with both of those losses coming on their current West Coast swing.

The Knicks are 1-3 straight up on the trip and are facing Utah for the first time this season. New York is playing better under interim coach Mike Miller (6-9 straight up after opening 4-18), but they are still prone to blowouts at times. The Knicks did not have Marcus Morris, their leading scorer, on Tuesday and his status is up in the air at this writing because of a sore neck.

Milwaukee Bucks at Golden State Warriors

TV: Fox Sports Wisconsin (Bucks), NBC Sports Bay Area (Warriors), ESPN (national)
Tickets: Chase Center, 7 p.m. local (10 p.m. Eastern)
Records: Milwaukee 32-6 (21-17 ATS, 10-8 road ATS), Golden State 9-29 (17-20-1 ATS, 8-9-1 home ATS)

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Availability report
Milwaukee: OUT–George Hill (illness), Frank Mason (two-way, G League), Cameron Reynolds (two-way, G League); PROBABLE–Giannis Antetokounmpo (back soreness).
Golden State: OUT–Marquese Chriss (not with team), Stephen Curry (left hand fracture), Kevon Looney (left abdominal soreness), D’Angelo Russell (right shoulder contusion), Klay Thompson (left ACL rehabilitation).

Notable: The Golden State Warriors have sort of returned to being the early-season version of the team lately, going just 1-4 ATS in their last five games. It’s no coincidence that run coincides with D’Angelo Russell being out with a bruised shoulder since colliding with Luka Doncic in a 20-point loss to the Mavericks on Dec. 28.

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The Milwaukee Bucks are coming off just their sixth loss of the season, losing Monday at San Antonio, and have not lost consecutive games so far in 2019-20. Milwaukee is 3-2 ATS in its last five on the road and 13-6 ATS over a 19-game period. This is their first meeting this season with the Warriors, who have followed four straight-up wins in a row with five consecutive losses.

Houston Rockets good NBA odds play as 8-point favorites at Atlanta

By Phil Watson | Jan 8, 2020