When a team goes out and spend some big money in the free agent market, the assumption is that they will automatically be better in the coming season. That is not always the case, though, as we have seen countless moves that didn’t deliver the type of results that we expected. There are a lot of factors that go into making an addition to a team successful, with egos often getting in the way of making the move a great one. You look at the Lakers and you see that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are co-existing in seeming perfect harmony.
The Lakers are killing it this season and are well out in front in the Western Conference. They are currently well ahead of the Houston Rockets, who made a big free agent move of their own this offseason when they brought in Russell Westbrook. He and James Harden have yet to scale the heights that we expected, with the Rockets sitting middle of the pack in the West. They will be on the road in Orlando on Friday night to face the Magic as a 6-point favorite. The point total for this one is set at 222 ½.
Rockets vs Magic 2019 NBA Odds & Expert Analysis
- When: Friday, December 13 at 7 PM EST
- Where: Amway Center, Orlando
- TV: NBA TV
- Radio: SiriusXM
- Live Stream: NBA League Pass
- NBA Odds: Houston Rockets -6 (Total 222.5)
Why bet on the Houston Rockets?
We fully expected the Houston Rockets to be challenging for the #1 seed in the Western Conference, but a rather lackluster start to the season sees them well of the pace right now. Houston is currently sitting at 16-8 on the season, which has them 5 ½ games off the pace being set by the LA Lakers at the top, with Houston occupying the #5 seed.When this team puts it all together, they look very tough to beat, but they have not been doing that often enough this season, going a mediocre 5-5 in their last 10 games. The Rockets do have a winning record on the road, going 7-5 through their first 12 road trips. On the positive side, they are 12-2 SU this season against teams sitting below .500.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 120.25
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.89
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.33
- Free Throw Percentage: 79.48
- Total Rebounds: 47.83
Defense
- Total Score: 114.88
- Field Goal Percentage: 45.74
- Three-Point Percentage: 35.79
- Free Throw Percentage: 74.73
- Total Rebounds: 46.04
Why bet on the Orlando Magic?
The Orlando Magic are clinging to playoff life in the Eastern Conference, sitting down in the #8 seed with an 11-13 record. The bad news is that they are heading in the wrong direction after losing back to back games to drop to 5-5 in their last 10.The Magic have been a little tougher to beat in their own building, going 8-5 there on the season, but they have not been very good versus teams with a winning record, going just 1-10 SU versus teams sitting above .500. Versus teams from the Western Conference, the Magic have been playing .500 ball at 4-4. In their last 10 games at home against the Rockets, the Magic have covered 7 times. They are also 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games overall.
Team Stats
Offense- Total Score: 102.29
- Field Goal Percentage: 42.99
- Three-Point Percentage: 32.92
- Free Throw Percentage: 77.99
- Total Rebounds: 45.38
Defense
- Total Score: 102.67
- Field Goal Percentage: 44.78
- Three-Point Percentage: 34.75
- Free Throw Percentage: 73.91
- Total Rebounds: 45.08
Rockets vs Magic NBA Betting Trends
- Magic are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Western conference
- Magic are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games at home
- The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Orlando’s last 6 games played on a Friday
- Rockets are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games this season
- Rockets are 5-14 ATS in their last 19 games against Orlando
- The total has gone OVER in 12 of Houston’s last 18 games against an opponent in the Southeast division
Expert Pick & Final Score Prediction for Rockets vs Magic
The Rockets have not been as good as we expected this season, but they have absolutely feasted on teams sitting below the .500 mark. This should be one that the Rockets win in rather comfortable fashion.Score: Houston Rockets 120 – Orlando Magic 107
