Rockets at Trail Blazers: Prediction, point spread, odds, over/under, betting picks
With their 2021 NBA draft lottery odds secure, there’s no reason for the Rockets not to aggressively pursue some feel-good victories as the 2020-21 season draws to a close. The question is, do they have enough bodies for that to be possible versus a playoff opponent?
Perennial All-Star Damian Lillard has the Portland Trail Blazers peaking at the right time. They have won seven of their last eight games. That’s who the short-handed Rockets will face at the Moda Center on Monday.
Houston has been surprisingly competitive in recent days. Despite having a roster ravaged by injuries, the Rockets lost by single digits versus a pair of playoff teams on Friday in Milwaukee and Saturday in Utah. Rookie forward KJ Martin and young guard Khyri Thomas did much of the heavy lifting. Each scored a career-high 27 points on Saturday, but it remains to be seen if any reinforcements will arrive in time for Monday’s matchup versus Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and the Blazers.
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Rockets at Trail Blazers: Monday's lineups, injury reports and broadcast info
The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
Point spread: Trail Blazers -15
Money line: Trail Blazers -1400 / Rockets +775
Over-under: 237.5
Player scoring props: Damian Lillard 28.5, CJ McCollum 23.5; Houston TBD
Place your legal, online sports bets in VA, CO, IA, IN, NJ, PA, TN and WV at BetMGM.
The Trail Blazers (39-29) are likely to start their usual lineup of Lillard, McCollum, Norman Powell, Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic. The lineup for Stephen Silas and the Rockets (16-52) is much less clear, given widespread injuries, but they started DJ Augustin, DaQuan Jeffries, Anthony Lamb, Jae’Sean Tate and KJ Martin on Saturday.
Houston’s injury report lists 10 of the team’s 17 players under standard contracts: Christian Wood (right ankle), Kelly Olynyk (right ankle), John Wall (right hamstring), Jae’Sean Tate (left knee), Eric Gordon (right groin), Sterling Brown (left knee), Kevin Porter Jr. (left ankle), Avery Bradley (personal reasons), Dante Exum (left calf), David Nwaba (right wrist) and D.J. Wilson (health and safety protocols). Of those 10, the only potential options to play on Monday are Olynyk and Wood, who are each questionable. The other eight are listed as out.
Portland is much healthier, by comparison, listing only Zach Collins (out, left ankle) and Carmelo Anthony (questionable, right ankle).
Advice and prediction
The Rockets have proven to be a tricky bet in recent days. While they’re clearly short-handed and not as talented as most of their opponents, they’re also filled with young players who are getting their first extended opportunities at the NBA level. Thus, they play hard for all 48 minutes — even after a game has effectively been decided.
That’s probably not enough to win, straight up. However, Houston’s strong effort in the fourth quarter of Friday’s game in Milwaukee and Saturday in Utah allowed the Rockets to cut both final margins to single digits. With Monday’s spread in the range of 15 points, it shouldn’t come as shock if Houston again makes a late push to cover that number.
Prediction: Trail Blazers 125, Rockets 112
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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Houston Rockets player grades for 2020-21 season through April
