Cleveland Cavaliers (29-20) vs. Houston Rockets (11-37)
January 26, 2023 8:00 pm EDT
The Line: Houston Rockets +7.5; Over/Under: +223
(Get latest betting odds)
The Houston Rockets play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Toyota Center on Thursday night.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in a bit of a rut as they’ve lost four of their last six games overall and they will be hoping to bounce back after falling just short to the Knicks in a 105-103 road loss on Tuesday. Donovan Mitchell led the team with 24 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals, Jarrett Allen added 24 points with 12 rebounds while Darius Garland chipped in with 22 points and six assists. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 46 percent from the field and 12 of 33 from the 3-point line as they worked hard to claw their way back from an early 13-point deficit, only to go cold at the wrong time, scoring just three points in the final 2:28 to allow the Knicks off the hook in the end.
Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been in dreadful form and they will be looking to bounce back in this one after coming up short to the Wizards in a 108-103 loss last night. Alperen Sengun led the team with a triple-double of 21 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists, Jalen Green added 19 points with seven assists while Kenyon Martin Jr. tallied 16 points with 13 rebounds. As a team, the Rockets shot 43 percent from the field and just five of 28 from the 3-point line as they dominated the first half to lead by as many as 19 points, but their defense was so poor in the second half where the Wizards poured in 65 points to snatch the game from them.
Looking at the betting trends, the Cavaliers are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five games against a team with a losing record, 4-13-2 ATS in their last 19 road games and 0-5-1 ATS in their last six road games against a team with a losing home record. The Rockets are 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 home games, 0-4 ATS in their last four games playing on zero days’ rest and 5-15-1 ATS in their last 21 games overall.
Head to head, the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings overall, the Cavaliers are 4-12 ATS in the last 16 meetings in Houston and the Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings overall.
The Cavaliers could be shorthanded again as Donovan Mitchell is currently listed as questionable, while the Rockets have ruled out Kevin Porter Jr once again. The Cavaliers have really been struggling lately and things will only get worse if Mitchell sits out for an extended time, but the Cavaliers have done well against the struggling teams this season and the Rockets have certainly been struggling. The Cavaliers are 4-1 ATS in the last five meetings overall and the Rockets are only 3-7-1 ATS in their last 11 home games, so I’ll stick with the Cavaliers to bounce back into form with a much-needed win in this spot.
