Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets Picks and Odds Dec 15

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets Betting Preview

WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets betting preview for Wednesday, December 15. At the time of posting, the Cavaliers have opened as a 9.5-point home favorite over the visiting Rockets, with the total sitting at 220.5 points.

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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets Predictions

• Cleveland Cavaliers -9.5 vs Houston Rockets
• Total: 220.5 Points
• Both teams are 8-2 straight-up in their last ten games.
• The Cavs have covered the point spread in each of their last 12 games.

Two incredible ATS records are on the line in this matchup. Cleveland is a perfect 12-0 their last 12 games ATS, and Houston is 9-1 in their last 10 with their lone ATS loss being a game they won by two and were favored by three.

Cleveland is finally getting a lot of respect from the books as they are a 9.5 point favorite in this one, and Houston fans will surely be asking when they will get respect from the books. We aren’t in this for the respect, we’re in this for the money so let’s find a play for this game we can respectfully pad our bankrolls with.

We’ll start with the incredible Cleveland Cavaliers who have come out of nowhere since the loss of Colin Sexton. Garland has been fantastic as has Rubio, Jarett Allen and Evan Mobley and when we look at their schedule they are only losing to the best of the best. Milwaukee, Utah, Brooklyn, Golden State and Phoenix are the only teams to beat them since November 17. They are second in the league in opponent points allowed per game behind only Golden State. They have trended to the under as they are 18-11 this season which is good for the 4th highest ROI in betting unders behind Philly, Dallas and Golden State.

Houston has been on an over trend as of late as they’ve gone over their total in eight out of ten games, and after losing 16 out of their first 17 games of the season they have somehow turned it around overnight to win eight out of 10 with their losses being to Milwaukee and Memphis. They are coming off a very impressive come from behind victory over Atlanta, so confidence should be high with them, and they are currently the #1 team in pace of play so expect them to want to run.

My biggest concern with them is their lack of interior defense. They are bottom seven in defense against centers and power forwards so big nights might be in store for Allen and Mobley.

One ATS beast will go down tonight, and I don’t think it’s going to be the Houston Rockets. I was stunned to see 9.5 as the number in this game, and any team that is 9-1 ATS in their last 10 has to be taken seriously. Cleveland is a good team, but they are a bit overvalued here in my opinion. Double digit victories over a short handed Chicago team, then Minnesota and Sacramento followed up by a nine point win against a short handed Miami team doesn’t make me feel confident in laying a big number.

Eric Gordon has been fantastic recently and Cleveland is below average guarding the guard positions. They have enough weapons to keep this game close so I’ll roll with the Rockets to end the Cavaliers ATS streak.

OFFICIAL PLAY: Rockets +9.5

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— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) December 15, 2021

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets Analysis from The GoldSheet

Who would have guessed a few weeks ago that this matchup would feature two of the hottest teams in the league? Both winners in eight of their last ten, surprising on the Cavs side but downright shocking for a Rockets bunch that had won exactly once all season before beginning this recent ascent. Along the way, Houston has the NBA’s third-ranked offense across that stretch (almost 118 points scored per 100 possessions), have beaten teams like the Bulls, Nets, and Hawks, and have only dropped one spread decision across that span. They’re also sharing the ball, assisting on roughly two of every three buckets, all making HC Stephen Silas smile.

The problem tonight is that the Cavs are offering even better value lately (try 12 covers In a row!), and they’ve been handling teams the way Wilt’s ‘66-67 Sixers dominated, with their last eight wins all by double-digit margins. Only the high-profile Jazz and Bucks have beaten Cleveland in the recent 10-game surge. Four of the Cavs’ five most-efficient offensive games have also come in December, with Darius Garland running the offense like John Stockton, and getting help from everyone in the lineup, with 6-11 USC rookie Evan Mobley looking well worth his high first-round pick.

NBA Tip-Off Show

Join Joe Raineri, Andy Lang, Kevin Dolan and Teddy Covers for the NBA Tip-Off Show at 4:15pm ET / 1:15pm PT as we discuss tonight’s marquee games. Stay up-to-date on the latest NBA news, stats, analysis, and predictions with our panel of professional handicappers as they preview tonight’s NBA action, including this Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets clash, from a betting perspective.

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WagerTalk’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NBA point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Wednesday’s NBA games, including this Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets showdown, from your desktop or phone.

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