In a matchup of two future Hall of Fame point guards who were traded for one another last month, John Wall and the Houston Rockets host Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards on Tuesday night. For both former All-Stars, it will be the first time to play against their old team.
Wall is downplaying the significance of the reunion matchup, saying it will be more emotional to play his former squad in Washington — which won’t happen until the second half of the season. For Westbrook, it is his first return visit to Toyota Center since being traded. However, since he only played one season in Houston, it probably won’t have anywhere near the emotions of Wall’s eventual return to Capital One Arena.
Since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2010 NBA draft, Wall played nine seasons for the Wizards and earned All-Star honors five times.
For Wall, it will also be his debut alongside Victor Oladipo in the new-look Houston backcourt. Oladipo was recently acquired by the Rockets in the blockbuster James Harden trade, but Wall was out injured with left knee soreness during Oladipo’s initial three games in Houston. Then, once Wall returned from injury on Saturday in Dallas, Oladipo sat out for planned maintenance on the second night of a road back-to-back.
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The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
- Point spread: Rockets -3.5 (-110), Wizards +3.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Rockets -160/Wizards +135
- Over-under: 231.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
- Player O/U Scoring Props: Bradley Beal 34.5 (-115 O, -110 U), Robin Lopez 8.5 (-125 O, +100 U); Victor Oladipo 22.5 (-105 O, -120 U); John Wall 21.5 (-105 O, -120 U), Eric Gordon 18.5 (-125 O, -105 U)
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, and WV at BetMGM.
From NBA.com’s game notes, projected starters for Washington are Russell Westbrook, Jerome Robinson, Bradley Beal, Isaac Bonga, and Robin Lopez. Meanwhile, Houston is listing John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Jae’Sean Tate, PJ Tucker and DeMarcus Cousins.
Advice and prediction
While the early part of Houston’s 2020-21 season was plagued by injuries, trade rumors, and quarantines, the Rockets seem to finally be getting healthier — and the team’s results are improving in kind. Houston enters Tuesday’s game on a two-game winning streak, headlined by an impressive blowout victory at Dallas in Wall’s return on Saturday.
Danuel House Jr., who began this season as Houston’s starter at small forward, rejoined the team Monday after missing more than three weeks with back spasms and a mandatory period of self-isolation. Meanwhile, starting center Christian Wood (sprained right ankle) is moving closer to a return, though it’s unclear if it will happen in time for Tuesday.
On the other side, the Wizards lost convincingly to San Antonio on Sunday, 121-101 (box score). Beal led Washington with 31 points and 7 rebounds, while Westbrook struggled in his first game back after a left quadriceps injury — scoring just 9 points on 3-of-11 shooting (27.3%).
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The Wizards currently have the second-worst record in the Eastern Conference, trailing only the Detroit Pistons (4-13). With Houston getting healthier by the day, Tuesday’s game looks like a prime opportunity for Stephen Silas’ crew to build upon their sudden momentum.
As far as player props, Eric Gordon going over his 18.5 scoring total seems like a decent bet, since he’s averaging 24.0 points per game over his last four outings since returning from a minor leg injury. Meanwhile, Wall’s 21.5 total feels high, since it’s nearly 5 points above his average, and he appears to have a minutes limitation coming off an injury.
Prediction: 117-110, Rockets
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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