A single player can make a huge difference to a team, which has been the case wherever LeBron James has gone, but it takes an entire team effort for the said team to rise to the top and win a championship. Even in the years when Michael Jordan was doing his stuff, the Bulls excelled because Jordan was surrounded by an incredible supporting cast. There is no denying that James Harden is a special type of player, as his current streak of 20 straight games with at least 30 PPG can attest to.
The problem for the Houston Rockets, though, is that they do not really have the great supporting cast needed to make Harden’s exploits mean more for the team as a whole. The Rockets are well off the pace in the Western Conference, which is surprising when you consider how good they were in winning it last season. They will try to move a little closer to the top on Wednesday night when they go on the road to face the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Rockets are in as a 3-point road favorite, with the point total for this one set at 230 ½.
Rockets vs Timberwolves NBA Odds, Preview & Pick
🎙 | “For us, it’s not about tonight. It’s about building for the playoffs.”@CP3 talks to the media after the #Rockets win over the Mavs. #RunAsOne 🚀 pic.twitter.com/CQuBNRzvgx
— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) 12 de febrero de 2019
- When: Wednesday, February 13 at 8 PM EST
- Where: Target Center, Minneapolis
- TV: ESPN
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: Houston Rockets -4 (Total 230.5)
Kings vs Nuggets NBA Betting Odds & Expert Preview
Why bet on the Houston Rockets?
The Rockets came into this season as one of the favorites to win the Western Conference, but they have looked like a disjointed team from the off this year. The Carmelo Anthony experiment proved to be a bust, and while his moving on has righted the ship a little, the Rockets still find themselves in the middle of the playoff pack, 8 games off the pace being set by the Golden State Warriors at the top of the conference.
Houston has been great at home this season, but they have not delivered the goods on the road, sitting a game below .500 at 13-14. Their 21-15 record versus conference foes is not where we would expect them to be at this stage of the season either. The Rockets had won 6 in a row versus Minnesota heading into this season, but they lost 103-91 when they met in December. Houston are just 6-11 ATS as a road favorite.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 113.18
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.71
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.76
- Free Throw Percentage: 78.08
- Total Rebounds: 41.68
- Total Score: 110.86
- Field Goal Percentage: 47.49
- Three-Point Percentage: 33.94
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.73
- Total Rebounds: 44.66
Why bet on the Minnesota Timberwolves?
At 26-30 on the season, the Minnesota Timberwolves find themselves on the wrong side of the playoff line in the Western Conference. That said, they are just 4 games back of the 8th and final playoff spot, but making up that ground is not going to be easy given how they are playing right now.
While the T-Wolves are coming off a win, but that was only good enough to take them to 4-6 in their last 10 games. If there is a bright spot for this team, it is that they have been a whole lot better at home, where they are 18-10 on the season. They have covered the spread in back to back games and have gone 5-2 ATS as a home underdog.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 111.71
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.03
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.99
- Free Throw Percentage: 79.62
- Total Rebounds: 45.00
- Total Score: 111.71
- Field Goal Percentage: 46.41
- Three-Point Percentage: 36.82
- Free Throw Percentage: 76.65
- Total Rebounds: 45.00
Rockets vs Timberwolves NBA Betting Trends
- Houston is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games on the road
- Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games on the road
- The total has gone OVER in 17 of Houston’s last 23 games when playing Minnesota
- Minnesota is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games at home
- Minnesota is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone OVER in 4 of Minnesota’s last 5 games
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction
While the Rockets have not been a particularly good bet this season, I think that the 3-point spread in this one gives us a nice opportunity to pick up a winning ticket. I am on the Rockets to win and cover on Wednesday night.
Score: Houston Rockets 116 – Minnesota Timberwolves 111
