Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets Picks and Odds Dec 8
Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets Betting Preview
WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets betting preview for Wednesday, December 8. At the time of posting, the Nets have opened as a 6.5-point road favorite in Houston, with the total sitting at 225 points.
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Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets Predictions
- Brooklyn Nets -6.5 at Houston Rockets
- Total: 225 Points
- Houston is 6-0 straight-up, 5-1 against the spread in their last six games.
- Brooklyn is 2-8 against the spread in their last ten games.
The local clubs may want to stay open for a few extra hours on Wednesday night as James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets head to Houston for a showdown with the Rockets at The Toyota Center. The Rockets are 6-17 and are tied for the 4th worst record in the NBA, however they have won 6 straight. The 16-7 Nets have the 2nd best record in the Eastern Conference and will playing the 2nd game of a back-to-back on the road after a hard fought victory against the Dallas Mavericks last night. This will be the first of two meetings between these teams, last season Brooklyn won both games by double digits.
The Houston Rockets own the longest losing streak thus far in the league at 15 games, however since breaking that horrendous run they have won 6 straight. When you take a deep dive into those 6 wins they really aren’t that impressive. The did beat an elite team in the Chicago Bulls to start the run, then they beat an average Charlotte Hornets team in overtime. After that they beat hands down three of the worst teams in the league between two wins against the Oklahoma City Thunder, followed by home wins against the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans.
While you can only play who is in front of you, it’s hard to believe that the Rockets would have won those games against more fierce competition. It’s no secret that the win streak coincided with the injury to #2 draft pick Jalen Green, who hasn’t returned since and is currently being evaluated on a week-to-week basis.
Houston ranks poorly offensively with an average of 105.2 points a game, ranking them 22nd overall. The Rockets aren’t much better on defense as they sit at 19th in defensive rating and 27th in defensive scoring. It seems like a matter of time before the Rockets are looking to deal Christian Wood and potentially a few others as they look towards the future.
This will be James Harden’s second game in Houston since being traded to Brooklyn last season after playing 8+ seasons with the Rockets. Last season Harden balled out with a triple double that included 29 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists. The Nets have won 7 of their last 9 games after a hard fought 102-99 victory last night in Dallas. The Nets rank 11th in scoring with 109.2 points per game.
The glaring difference in this team is their defensive intensity as they sit at 6th in defensive rating. While the Nets are still without point guard Kyrie Irving as he considers a plant-based vaccine they have gotten some great contributions from Patty Mills who is shooting the highest percentages in his 13 year career. As long as Durant and Harden are healthy this team will be a contender, however it remains to be seen how far the tandem can carry them.
Both teams have virtually the same middling over/under record against the spread, so there isn’t much you can take from that. However the Rockets are #1 in pace of play while Nets rank 10th. Brooklyn stands at 9-14-1 ATS as they have consistently been overvalued as a public team. The Rockets are middle of the road with a 11-11-1 ATS record.
The Nets are favored by 6.5 and the total is set at 225. The over has cashed in 8 of the Nets last 12 games as well as 4 of the Rockets last 5. I’m going to take a shot with the over 225 here as the Nets may play with less defensive intensity on the 2nd game of a back-to-back. I also think Harden will look to put on a show and focus his energy on the offensive side of the floor. Speaking of Harden, he is coming off an amazing game last night with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 12 assists, as he continues to stuff the stat sheet in all 3 categories. His Pts+Rebs+Asts line was set at only 38.5. I’m expecting a similar number and similar stat line as Harden should play with added motivation.
Official Play: OVER 225
Official Player Prop: James Harden Over 38.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
Patriots +120 ML completes the MNF sweep for a big night and makes for a nice and profitable week in the NFL. If you missed out, don’t worry…next weeks plays will start coming in Wednesday.
— Andy Lang (@BumpSports) December 7, 2021
Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets Analysis from The GoldSheet
Brooklyn is off a narrow win-and-cover at Dallas last night, rallying from 17 pts. down in the 3rd Q, thanks to James Harden (23 pts., 12 assists) and the Thin Man (24 pts. for KD). Brooklyn now 9-1 in their last ten on the road and 15-4 last 19 overall, although Nets have covered just 2 of last 10. Can somewhat understand where this number is coming from, but unless someone has the word that Kevin Durant and/or James Harden are going to take the night off (8/8½? 9?).
Yes, Houston has won six-straight, but feel a look at the efficiency numbers would be more salient than just looking at the Ws and Ls. Despite the 6-0 SU and 5-1 spread marks, the Rockets are 7th in net efficiency and 16th in defensive efficiency in that mark. Even with Durant playing 41 minutes last night and Net HC Steve Nash saying he wants to lighten the workload, not sure Durant wants or needs a rest the way he sounded after the game last night, although we duly note Nets are just 2-6 vs. the points last 1+ seasons on the road in 2nd of back-to-back games.
NBA Tip-Off Show
Fourteen games on Wednesday’s loaded NBA betting slate. Join Joe Raineri, Tony Mejia, Teddy Covers and Kevin Dolan 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 Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets 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 Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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