Rockets vs. Nets Predictions
The reeling Houston Rockets visit the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday. The Rockets have lost their last four games and they have nothing to play for but pride.
The Nets, on the other hand, have lost three of their last four games, including two straight to fall to 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, one game behind the Hawks for eighth place. Here’s a complete breakdown, including betting odds and free NBA picks.
Houston Rockets vs. Brooklyn Nets
Tuesday, April 05, 2022 – 07:30 PM EDT at Barclays Center
The Nets opened at -17.5 at BetOnline and as I write this, this sportsbook hasn’t set the total in their NBA odds board. FiveThirtyEight has the Nets as 13-point road favorites, projecting them to win 89 percent of the time.
There’s a gap between the projections and the actual odds, should we take the road team and the points or hammer the total once the lines are out?
Can the Rockets Get Enough Stops?
The Rockets (20-59 SU, 33-45-1 ATS) have lost four straight games but they put up a fight in all of them and went 2-2 ATS. Rookie phenom Jalen Green has really come alive toward the end of the season, averaging 30.2 points in his last five games while shooting 45.1 percent from 3-point range.
Kevin Porter Jr. has also had some monster games as of late, putting up 21.1 points, 9.5 assists and 7.8 rebounds in his last four games. Can the Houston defense get enough stops on Tuesday? The Rockets are giving up 126.25 points in their last four games and that’s a problem when facing a team like Brooklyn on the road.
The Nets (40-38 SU, 31-45-2 ATS) live and die by their ability to put up a bunch of points efficiently. A lot has been said about the Brooklyn defense since last season but you have to understand that their offense is their defense. This is a team that manipulates the flow and pace of the games with their offensive tempo and their opponents have to keep up.
Whoever faces the Nets ends up not playing defense, as their system is set up so they run the opposing team out the gym. The Nets turn games into shootouts with the hopes that they will score more efficiently than their opponent. The downfall is that the other team’s scorers can get hot, just like it happened on Sunday’s 122-115 road loss against the Hawks.
Prediction
Keeping up with this Brooklyn offense is demanding and the Rockets just lost 139-132 at home against the Timberwolves. Expect a similar outcome against the Nets, with both teams putting up plenty of points against weak defenses.
The Rockets won’t be able to stop Durant and Irving and Green and Porter are playing out of their minds. I’m taking the Over here. Enjoy the game and find more NBA picks here.
NBA Pick: Over at BetOnline