The Cleveland Cavaliers (17-15) and Houston Rockets (18-10) meet Saturday at Toyota Center in Houston. Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Cavaliers vs. Rockets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: Rockets lead 1-0
The Rockets won the first meeting 114-104 on Nov. 19 in Cleveland as a 1.5-point favorite as the Under (232.5) cashed. Houston has won 4 straight meetings while also going 4-0 against the spread (ATS) in that span. The Under is 2-1 in the past 3 meetings.
Cleveland collapsed on Christmas Day, falling 126-124 as a 3.5-point favorite against the Knicks in New York as the Over (237.5) cashed. G Donovan Mitchell went for 34 points while G Darius Garland posted 20 points and 10 assists while hitting 3 triples.
The Cavaliers are just 2-4 straight up (SU) in their past 6 games and 1-7 ATS in their past 8 games while the Over has hit in 4 in a row.
The Rockets routed the Lakers on Christmas Day, 119-96, cashing as a 5-point road favorite as the Under (233) hit. C Alperen Sengun went for 14 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Houston is just 2-4 SU in its past 6 games but 3 of those losses came in OT. Still, the Rockets are like the Cavs in that they have had trouble covering, going just 2-6 ATS in the past 8 games.
Cavaliers at Rockets odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Saturday at 11:07 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML): Cavaliers +145 (bet $100 to win $145) | Rockets -175 (bet $175 to win $100)Against the spread: Cavaliers +3.5 (-105) | Rockets -3.5 (-115)Over/Under (O/U): 233.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)Cavaliers at Rockets key injuries
Cavaliers
F Larry Nance Jr. (calf) outF Max Strus (foot) out
Rockets
C Alperen Sengun (calf) questionableG Fred VanVleet (knee) out
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Cavaliers at Rockets picks and predictionsPrediction
Rockets 123, Cavaliers 115
The Rockets (-175) will cost you nearly 2 times your potential return, and that’s a little too expensive for my liking for a standalone bet. My personal limit for a moneyline bet is -180 — so it’s close here — although it would be perfectly OK to drop into a multi-leg parlay.
PASS.
The ROCKETS -3.5 (-115) are worth backing, as they’ve owned this series recently.
Both of these teams have stunk against the numbers in recent weeks, so we have to go with the next-best trend, and that’s head-to-head. Houston has rocketed past Cleveland in 4 in a row, covering each of the meetings.
The OVER 23.5 (-110) is a strong play in this Saturday night battle.
The Over has cashed in 4 in a row for Cleveland, with the Cavs scoring 124 or more points in each game and conceding at least 118 points in 7 in a row.
Houston has been less prolific on offense, although it has scored 115 or more points in 6 of its past 7 while allowing 125 or more points in 4 of its previous 6 outings.
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