NBA Betting – Houston Rockets at Atlanta Hawks
Houston Rockets at Atlanta Hawks (-9, 199.5)
It was a costly kick. But it could have been costlier.
On Saturday, things got heated when the Houston Rockets (41-18, 18-10 road) hosted LeBron James and the Cavaliers. So heated that the NBA’s leading scorer and early MVP favorite James Harden ended up kicking James during a battle for the ball.
After reviewing the incident, the league has suspended Harden for one game.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, who have won five straight, that game could scarcely be tougher: tonight, they travel to Atlanta to face the Eastern Conference-leading Hawks (47-12, 27-4 home) at Phillips Arena (7:30 p.m. Eastern).
Last year, the Hawks squeaked into playoffs with only 38 wins. This season, the team already has 47. The roster remains largely unchanged from last season, though All-Star center Al Horford – who only managed to suit up for 29 games last year – has only missed three contests this season.
Coach Mike Budenholzer said the success is a result of hard work, but recognizes that a little luck on the injury front has also been key.
“Just working our way through the season,” said Budenholzer, “and trying to keep us in a good place health-wise.”
The Hawks come into tonight winners of four straight. Last time out, they downed the Heat, 93-91, in Miami despite resting Horford and also giving point guard (and fellow All-Star) Jeff Teague the night off.
Both will be back in the lineup for tonight’s game, which is the second meeting of the season between the Hawks and Rockets. On December 20, Kyle Korver (22 points) and Horford (14 points, eight rebounds, three blocks) led Atlanta to a convincing 104-97 win in Houston (with Harden on the floor).
Houston’s current win streak has moved the team within 1.5 games of Memphis for top spot in the Southeast Division. But the Rockets will also have to get by without center Dwight Howard again tonight. The Houston big man has been out since late January with a knee issue.
Looking at the trends, Houston is 6-4 SU and ATS in the last ten against the Hawks. They’re also 6-4 ATS in the last ten in Atlanta.
The spread is currently at Atlanta -9 and, with Harden sidelined, the O/U is at just 199.5.
(Photo credit: Keith Allison [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)
Zack is a tour guide whose favorite sports are football, baseball, and golf. He enjoys giving obnoxious commentary during games and hopes to some day write a book about sports. His favorite underdog victory was the Diamondbacks beating the Yankees in game 7 of the World Series.
