The Houston Rockets (8-18) travel to State Farm Arena Monday to take on the Atlanta Hawks (13-13). Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Below, we look at the Rockets vs. Hawks odds and lines, and make our expert NBA picks, predictions and bets.
The Rockest started the season 1-16 and then went on an odd seven-game win streak. They’ve lost two straight games but one was against the Milwaukee Bucks who are second in the East and the other was against the Memphis Grizzlies who sit fourth in the West.
The Rockets are led by C Christian Wood and are 14-11-1 against the spread (ATS), one of the better covering teams in the NBA. The Hawks are led by superstar G Trae Young and just 11-15 ATS.
They’ll be heavy favorites at home despite having lost three of their last four games.
Rockets at Hawks odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:31 p.m. ET.
- Money line: Rockets +440 (bet $100 to win $440) | Hawks -650 (bet $650 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Rockets +9.5 (-107) | Hawks -9.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 226.5 (O: -115 | U: -107)
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Rockets at Hawks key injuries
Rockets
- G Jalen Green (hamstring) out
- G Kevin Porter Jr. (thigh) out
Hawks
- F Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle) out
- F De’Andre Hunter (wrist) out
Rockets at Hawks odds, lines, picks and predictions
Prediction
Hawks 115, Rockets 110
Money line
PASS.
I don’t have the ultra-hot Rockets at +440, but the Hawks are the much better team here. At -650, they also shouldn’t be played due to lack of value.
Against the spread
BET on the ROCKETS +9.5 (-107) as the better side of the spread.
The Rockets barely missed the cover as 8.5-point underdogs against the Bucks, losing by 9 points in the first game following their seven-game win streak. They did cover against the Grizzlies despite losing last time out.
While they were the league’s worst shooting team for a while, not having Green or Porter Jr. has helped drastically increase their efficiency and has provided more opportunity for G Eric Gordon and Wood.
The Rockets also have the highest turnover rate while the Hawks have the lowest. The Hawks haven’t necessarily forced or capitalized off turnovers this year, ranking 28th in points off turnovers.
Atlanta doesn’t punish teams when they turn it over and that could be a major storyline in this one.
Over/Under
“LEAN” to the UNDER 226.5 (-107) as the better side of the total.
C Clint Capela should help limit Wood and the Rockets guards. Combine that with the fact that betting the other for either team hasn’t been profitable, and I’ll look toward the Under.
Also despite 89% of the money on the Over per pregame.com at the time of writing, the line has drooped from 227 to 226.5. The reverse line movement means the books like their position enough to stand pat, and I’ll side with the books on this one.
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