The Houston Rockets (18-56) visit the Cleveland Cavaliers (47-28) on Sunday with tip from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Rockets vs. Cavaliers odds, and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
Houston was decimated 151-114 on Friday by the Memphis Grizzlies, failing to cover as a 12.5-point road underdog. It has now lost 4 games in a row. The Rockets are 3-7 in their last 10 games and 5-4-1 against the spread (ATS) in that span. This season they are 31-41-2 ATS.
Cleveland beat the Brooklyn Nets 116-114 on Thursday, but failed to cover as a 3.5-point road favorite. It has now won 3 games in a row and 8 of its last 10. In that stretch, the Cavaliers are 5-5 ATS and are 39-33-3 ATS.
Cleveland beat Houston 113-95 on Jan. 26 to cover as an 8.5-point road favorite.
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Rockets at Cavaliers odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:36 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Rockets +750 (bet $100 to win $750) | Cavaliers -1100 (bet $1100 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Rockets +14.5 (-115) | Cavaliers -14.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 223.5 (O: -112 | U: -108)
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Rockets at Cavaliers key injuries
Rockets
- SF Jae’Sean Tate (knee) out
Cavaliers
- PG Raul Neto (hamstring) questionable
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Rockets at Cavaliers picks and predictions
Prediction
Cavaliers 121, Rockets 106
Moneyline
PASS.
At -1100 odds, the Cavaliers moneyline presents no profit.
Against the spread
LEAN CAVALIERS -14.5 (-105).
While 14.5 points is a lot to cover, the Cavaliers have the best defense in the NBA allowing only 106.7 points per game and are facing a Rockets offense that ranks 29th in the league at 110.6 points per game.
The Rockets are just 2-6 ATS when playing as a 12.5-or-more-point underdog, including failing to cover in their last game as 12.5-point underdogs. The Cavs are 1-1 ATS when playing as 12.5-or-more-point favorites. The Cavs are also 23-13-1 ATS at home this season while Houston is just 13-23 ATS on the road.
Over/Under
BET OVER 223.5 (-112).
The Over is 5-0 in the Rockets’ last 5 road games, 5-1 in their last 6 games following an outright loss of 10 or more points and 4-1 in their last 5 games playing on a day’s rest.
For the Cavaliers, the Over is 6-1 in their last 7 games, 5-0 in their last 5 games following an outright win, and 5-0 in their last 5 games when their opponent allows 100 or more points in their previous game.
The Rockets’ defense has allowed 110 or more points in each of their last 6 games and 117 or more points in each of their last 4. As it stands, 223.5 points would also be their lowest opening line in their last 10 games.
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