NBA Odds Preview: Toss Up In the Books As Rockets Host Clippers

Wednesday night at the Toyota Center will be an early test for two stacked teams as the Rockets host the Clippers in a highly anticipated Western Conference face-off in the NBA Regular Season.

Houston is set to protect its home floor against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers who are coming off back-to-back victories against the Portland Trailblazers and the Toronto Raptors.

The Clips, meanwhile, will run to break the Rockets’ sizzling four-game win streak.

Both teams are tied at seven wins against three losses in the standings, just below the Los Angeles Lakers and the Utah Jazz.

Let us see how the odds bookmakers assessed this upcoming clash.

At posting, only a slight edge is given to Houston with a -1.5 spread while the average money line market odds show the Rockets barely being favored with an almost pick-em price as the Clippers.

It goes to show that the analysts of this game deem the Clippers as the “better” team and that if not for the home-court edge, the Rockets certainly are to be handicapped in the betting sense.

Are the prices fair? Let us take a look at some indicators.

After scoring just 12 on an awful 18.2 percent shooting clip in his first game against his former Champion team, we should expect the “Claw” to pick up his bearings offensively. That’s definitely not good news for the Rockets.

Ten games in and the Clippers have proven to be as lethal on both ends despite still missing the services of another prized two-way star in Paul George.

The Rockets, meanwhile, will bank on their offensive prowess led by James Harden.

The Rockets are No. 1 in the league in Points per Game, scoring 120.3 per outing with Harden leading the way with a personal 37.3 points per game, also a league-best.

Russell Westbrook is also expected to get some share of the spotlight in this national TV game. Beyond everything, the 2017 NBA MVP is one of the reasons why the Rockets are also at the top of the league when it comes to pace.

Negating this, however, is the Texas-based squad’s own struggles on the defensive end. The Rockets are currently ranked 26^th in Opponent’s Points per Game.

The Clippers surely will attack the jugular, especially with the depth of their bench led by Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. And with Leonard and Patrick Beverly at the backcourt on defense, Harden and Westbrook are certainly taken care of.