How to Bet Rockets vs Raptors NBA Spread & Expert Pick

Easily the marquee matchup of the night in the NBA is the Houston Rockets visiting the Toronto Raptors on national TV. It’s James Harden, the league’s most dynamic offensive player, against Kawhi Leonard, arguably the league’s top perimeter defender. The Raptors are NBA odds favorites.

Rockets vs Raptors NBA Spread & Expert Pick

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— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) 4 de marzo de 2019

Season Series

Houston leads 1-0, winning 121-119 at home on Jan. 25. James Harden had 35 points for Houston, which never trailed. Kenneth Faried had 21 points and 14 rebounds. All of Houston’s starters scored 10 points or more. Eric Gordon had 24, P.J. Tucker added 18 and Austin Rivers scored 13.

Houston led by 11 points after two free throws by Harden with 1:14 remaining before the Raptors made three straight 3-pointers to cut the lead to 121-119 with 27.3 remaining. Gordon missed a 3 to give the Raptors a chance, but Kawhi Leonard’s 3-point attempt was short as he was defended by Harden. Leonard had 32 points. Danny Green and Pascal Siakam added 22 points each.

The Raptors did win at home last year vs. Houston and are 15-7 all-time at home in the series. Houston has lost 9 of past 11 in Toronto after winning five of the first 11 games there.

Why Bet on Houston?

The Rockets won their fifth straight Sunday, 115-104 in Boston. The C’s did a decent job trying to contain James Harden, limiting him to 14-of-31 shooting from the field and nine free throw attempts. But the Celtics were inefficient when they had the ball, shooting 48 percent (37 of 77) for the game and 29 percent (8 of 28) from beyond the arc.

Harden fouled out of Sunday’s game with 42 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block. This was only the eighth time in Harden’s career that he fouled out of a game. Harden made six 3-pointers and scored 40 or more points for the 24th time this season.

Chris Paul racked up 15 points, 12 assists, six rebounds, three steals, three 3-pointers, and one block. The Rockets improved to 12-0 when Paul gets double-digit assists this season — if you go back to last season, they’re now 27-1. Eric Gordon (sore knee) poured in 32 points during Sunday’s win, making 11-of-18 shots with a career-high-tying eight 3-pointers. He and Harden combined to score as many points as the entire Celtics team in the first half. Kenneth Faried (hip) missed the game and is day-to-day.

The Rockets have won seven of their last 10 road games after losing 10 of their previous 14 road games. Houston is 16-16 on the road this season after winning a franchise-high 31 road games in 2017-18 (tied for sixth-most in NBA history).

The Rockets have won 17 games by double-digits this season. Houston won a franchise record 38 games by 10+ points in 2017-18. Houston is 31-5 when leading after three-quarters of play this season and 7-20 when tied or trailing. The Rockets were 56-3 when leading after three-quarters of play last season and 9-14 when tied or trailing.

Team Stats

Offense

• Total Score: 113.43
• Field Goal Percentage: 44.74
• Three-Point Percentage: 34.84
• Free Throw Percentage: 78.81
• Total Rebounds: 41.41

Defense

• Total Score: 111.08
• Field Goal Percentage: 47.64
• Three-Point Percentage: 34.57
• Free Throw Percentage: 76.81
• Total Rebounds: 44.60

Why Bet on Toronto?

The Raptors were 112-107 OT losers in Detroit on Sunday without Kawhi Leonard. The Raptors rested Leonard less than 48 hours after he made the go-ahead shot in the closing seconds of their win over Portland.

Kyle Lowry had the Raptors’ first seven points in overtime, giving them a 107-102 lead with 2:22 remaining. The cushion wasn’t big enough. The Pistons rallied and Andre Drummond made two free throws to put them ahead 109-107 with 46.1 seconds left. Lowry missed a contested layup with 7 seconds left and Detroit made free throws to seal the win.

Lowry looked fine after slipping during Sunday’s game, finishing with a season-high 35 points, seven rebounds, five assists, six 3-pointers and one steal in 42 minutes. Lowry had help getting to his feet after an awkward spill, but clearly, it didn’t seem to bother him. This marked the 30th time Lowry has recorded 30+ points since joining the Raptors, which ranks fourth in franchise history behind DeMar DeRozan (96), Vince Carter (91) and Chris Bosh (60).

Marc Gasol missed a potential game-winner in regulation on Sunday, finishing with 13 points (2-of-10 FGs, 8-of-8 FTs), eight boards, five assists, two blocks and one steal in 38 minutes. Danny Green shifted to small forward, posting six points, two rebounds, three steals and one assist in 29 minutes. Green moved over because Leonard was rested. Leonard should be back Tuesday.

Pascal Siakam is one of nine Eastern Conference players averaging at least 20.0 points with a .500 field goal percentage since Feb. 1. He is averaging 20.8 points and shooting .506 from the field in 11 games.

Toronto is currently 27-6 (.818) at home, which is tied for Denver for second in the NBA. Milwaukee leads the league with a 25-5 (.833) record at home. The Raptors lead the NBA with an 18-6 (.750) record against Western Conference opponents.

Team Stats

Offense

• Total Score: 114.17
• Field Goal Percentage: 46.86
• Three-Point Percentage: 35.14
• Free Throw Percentage: 80.47
• Total Rebounds: 45.00

Defense

• Total Score: 108.86
• Field Goal Percentage: 45.34
• Three-Point Percentage: 34.71
• Free Throw Percentage: 76.74
• Total Rebounds: 44.75

Rockets vs Raptors NBA Betting Trends

• Over is 6-1 in the last 7 meetings
• Home team is 16-6-1 ATS in the last 23 meetings
• Underdog is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings
• Houston is 4-8-1 ATS in its last 13 games on the road
• Houston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games on the road
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games on the road
• Toronto is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
• Toronto is 16-2 SU in its last 18 games at home
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Toronto’s last 6 games at home

Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Rockets vs Raptors

Houston Rockets 111 – Toronto Raptors 116