posted November 21, 2008 at 14:05 in NBA Free Picks
Struggling Wizards Host Inconsistent Rockets
The Houston Rockets, (7-5, 5-7 ATS, 5-7 O/U) have been one of the most inconsistent ‘contenders’ in the league so far this season.
The Washington Wizards (1-8, 3-6 ATS, 3-6 O/U) have dropped three consecutive games in the BetUS Sportsbook, including Wednesday’s 91-87 road loss to the Atlanta Hawks.
Both teams will be looking to get back in the win column when they battle tonight at Verizon Center.
Houston is coming off a dismal 96-86 home loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday that halted their modest two-game winning streak, though they played without center Yao Ming who sat out because of injury.
Houston was led by Rafer Alston and Tracy McGrady who each scored 16 points in the loss while placing five players in double figures in scoring.
"It's nothing bad," said Yao. "I'm all right, actually. I'll maybe take a few days, maybe one day."
McGrady has been bothered by a sore left knee since the start of the regular season.
"It's going to take (McGrady) some time - you hope it's just going to get better as he doesn't have pain or anything," Rockets coach Rick Adelman said. "But it's definitely affected him and it certainly affects us, too, because we're so used to him with the ball in his hands and finding people."
The Wizards, who were outscored by 10 points in the second half, got a strong performance from all-star forward Caron Butler who scored 32 points on 12-for-21 shooting while fellow all-star forward Antawn Jamison added 18 points on 8-for-16 shooting with 11 rebounds.
"It's the same situation," Jamison said. "We're just not closing games out. We're making the same mistakes. We've played it over and over again."
Here is a look at the key trends for each team, followed by my in-depth analysis and NBA Free Picks.
The Rockets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a losing home record.
The Rockets are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games vs. a team with a home winning percentage of less than .400.
The Wizards are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games vs. a team with a winning road record.
The Wizards are 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games overall.
The Under is 4-1 in Rockets last 5 Friday games.
The Under is 4-0 in Wizards last 4 games following a S.U. loss.
The Rockets are 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
The Rockets are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Washington.
Houston Rockets -5½ -110
Washington Wizards +5½ -110
Over 182½ -110
Under 182½ -110
Analysis: Despite playing on the road in this contest, I like the Houston Rockets to bounce back from their latest loss with an emphatic victory over the struggling Wizards. With Yao Ming back in the lineup, I say take the Houston Rockets to romp to a solid victory and cover.
NBA Free Picks: Rockets -5½ Points/ Over 182½ Total Points
