Posted on 2/19/2008 4:00:39 PM

NBA Basketball Betting - Houston at Cleveland

By Charles Jay

WHO: Houston Rockets (32-20 SU, 26-24-2 ATS) at Cleveland Cavaliers (29-23 SU, 24-28 ATS)

WHERE: Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland

WHEN: Tuesday, February 19 at 7 PM ET

BetUS NBA basketball betting odds: HOUSTON -1, Total 185

In the HEAD-to-HEAD NBA betting trends:

* HOU has covered six of the last seven meetings

* HOU has won seven of the last nine meetings SU

* Seven of the last eight meetings have gone UNDER the total

* Eight of the last 12 meetings in Cleveland have gone UNDER the total

* HOU has had the shooting edge in nine of the last ten meetings

* HOU has had the rebounding edge in each of the last three meetings

Houston ranks third in the NBA in rebounding, pulling down 44.4 caroms a game. The Rockets are third in the league in field goal percentage defense, giving up just 43.7% shooting from the field. Also:

* HOU is 4-1-1 ATS in its last six games

* HOU has won its last eight games SU

* HOU has played five of its last six games UNDER the total

* HOU has won its last five road games SU

* HOU is 7-2-1 ATS in its last ten road games

Cleveland is one of the worst shooting teams in the NBA, hitting on 43.9% of its shots. The Cavaliers are slightly ahead of Houston in the offensive rebounding category, with 13 a contest. Also:

* CLEV has covered two of its last six games

* CLEV has won 15 of its last 21 games SU

* CLEV has played four of its last six games OVER the total

* CLEV has covered one of its last five home games

* CLEV has won eight of its last 11 home games SU

* CLEV has played five of its last seven home games OVER the total

With these teams, who don't shoot a high percentage and don't make an awful lot of three-pointers, you have to expect that defense is going to dominate. Indeed, seven of the last eight meetings have gone "under." Another thing to note is that Houston has shot for a higher percentage in nine of the last ten encounters. At least part of this can be attributed to the presence of Yao Ming in the lineup, altering shots and pushing the Cavs outside.

The Rockets were probably sorry the All-Star break came along when it did, as they had won eight games in a row coming into the hiatus. Last time out against Cleveland, they held the Cavs to just 77 points, 32 of which came from LeBron James. It seems clear the strategy is that no other member of the Cleveland team is going to be allowed to beat them.

Depth would help in Cleveland, but as now, neither Anderson Varejao or Sasha Pavlovic is ready to come back and bolster the rotation. Daniel Gibson has a sore hamstring too. The Cavs have not exactly turned the Quicken Loans Arena into a fortress, as they've covered just one of their last five home games and are 8-16 ATS overall.

As long as we can get a reasonable line, we're ready to go with the hotter, bigger, stronger team with more bench strength. we have a reasonable number, so we're on the Rockets, the one-point favorite in the BetUS NBA basketball betting odds.

JAY'S PLAY: HOUSTON

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(Charles Jay of http://www.eBookies.com is a freelance writer and handicapper who not only can make his shots from the top of the key, but also contributes with gusto to the BetUS Locker Room)