Things have not been easy for the Portland Trail Blazers lately, as the team is dealing with injuries to Jusuf Nurkic and Anfernee Simons, two of their starters.
However, the Blazers have a great spot to pick up a win and get back on track against the Houston Rockets on Sunday.
Houston is down its two best guards in Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr., and the team has lost eight consecutive matchups.
The Rockets and San Antonio Spurs (16 straight losses) are in an all-out tank off for the No. 1 pick, and it’s made Houston a risky bet, even as a massive underdog.
Here’s how I’m betting this matchup, as well as the latest odds for Rockets-Blazers:
Rockets vs. Blazers odds, spread and total
Rockets vs. Blazers prediction and pick
There are plenty of reasons to fade Houston in this spot, so let’s break each of them down.
First off, the Rockets lack elite perimeter scoring without Porter Jr. and Green, and their offense has struggled, scoring 104 or less points in four straight games. They are now 30th in the NBA in offensive rating this season.
Even though the Rockets are getting nearly 10 points against the banged up Blazers team, they simply haven’t done a great job against the spread in this spot.
Houston is just 10-20 ATS as a road dog, losing those games by an average margin of 12.0 points per game. Houston is also on a back-to-back after losing to Golden State last night, and the team is a league worst 2-7 ATS on the second night of a back-to-back this season.
Damian Lillard should have a field day for Portland, and the Blazers are solid as home favorites (12-9 ATS).
Fade Houston at all costs on Sunday.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.