The Houston Rockets (14-4), the NBA’s top scoring team, will take on the New York Knicks (10-8) at Toyota Center. Houston is a 13.5-point favorite on the opening line, while the games Over/Under (O/U) opened at 218.5 points. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, November 25, 2017, and it can be seen on NBATV.
New York Knicks at Houston Rockets Betting Preview
The last time the Knicks played, they lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 116-104. With 28 points on 9-for-18 shooting, Kristaps Porzingis was the games leading scorer. Atlanta had a turnover percentage of 7.9 (better than their season average of 14.5). New York, on the other hand, did a great job of making free throws (12-14; 85.7 percent).
The Rockets hope to maintain momentum after thoroughly outplaying the Denver Nuggets in their last matchup, 125-95. Chris Paul played a key role for Houston with 23 points and 12 assists. Houston played a nearly perfect game. They had a ridiculous effective field goal percentage of 0.659 (above their season average of 0.551) and a free throw rate of 0.207 (below their season average of 0.252). For those same stats, Denver was 0.460 and 0.172, respectively.
The high-powered offense of Houston will square off against the mid-tier defense of New York. The Rockets currently rank second in offensive efficiency, while the Knicks are 19th in defensive efficiency. The Rockets should have the edge on that end of the court. Furthermore, the Knicks are among the NBA’s best on the offensive backboards, ranking second in offensive rebounding percentage (27.2 percent). The Rockets, meanwhile, rank third at corralling defensive rebounds with a defensive rebounding percentage of 81.1 percent.
Games featuring these teams have a tendency to finish under the O/U total. New York games have finished under 58.8 percent of the time, while 55.6 percent of Houston games have gone under. The Rockets have the significant advantage straight up (SU) (14-4 vs. 10-8), but both teams have similar against the spread (ATS) records. Houston is 11-7, while New York is 11-6 ATS.
Tim Hardaway Jr. has really been playing well over the last five games for New York, averaging 23.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.
These teams have already met once this season. In that game, the two teams combined to put up 216 points, just over the projected point total of 215.5. The Rockets won 119-97, covering as 5.5-point underdogs. The Rockets dominated every facet of the game. They had a free throw rate of 0.182 and an offensive rebounding percentage of 20.0. For those same stats, the Knicks recorded marks of 0.122 and 14.0, respectively. Despite the loss, Hardaway Jr. had a standout performance with 23 points and seven rebounds.
New York Knicks vs. Houston Rockets Prediction
Predictions: SU Winner – Rockets, ATS Winner – Knicks, O/U – Under
Betting Notes:
- The Rockets rank fifth in second chance points allowed per game (10.4) while the Knicks rank 22nd (13.6).
- New York ranks seventh in assists per game (23.6) while Houston ranks 15th in assists allowed per game (22.5).
- Houston ranks 11th in fast break points per game (11.9) while New York ranks 28th (6.7).
- New York ranks first in rebounds allowed per game (39.9) while Houston ranks second (40.9).
- On the road, New York is 1-4 ATS with 5 unders and 0 overs.
- Houston is 4-4 ATS at home with 4 overs and 4 unders.
- New York is 4-0 when they allow less than 100 points, while Houston is 7-1.
- In games where they score more than 100 points, the Rockets are 14-2 and the Knicks are 10-3.
- The Rockets average 18.5 points off turnovers per game, which ranks 11th in the league. The Knicks rank 25th in points off turnovers allowed per game (19.3).
- Houston averages 44.2 three pointers per game, which ranks first in the league. New York ranks last in three pointers allowed per game (33.6).
- The Rockets rank third in steals per game (9.1) while the Knicks rank 23rd (7.2).
- The Rockets rank 10th in blocks per game (5.2) while the Knicks rank 17th in blocks allowed per game (5.1).
- New York ranks first in points allowed in the paint per game (39.0) while Houston ranks 20th (45.2).
Bettings Trends:
- Houston is 4-1 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs in their last five games.
- Over their last five games, New York is 4-1 ATS with 4 unders and 1 over.
- The Rockets average margin of victory in their last five games has been 17.0, up from 9.8 for the season.
- During their last five games, the Knicks have scored an average of 101.8 points per game (3.0 below their season average) and allowed an average of 101.8 points per game (2.3 below their season average).
