Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks Picks and Odds Dec 16

Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks Betting Preview

WagerTalk NBA handicapper Andy Lang offers his Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks betting preview for Thursday, December 16. At the time of posting, the Knicks are holding steady as 5-point road favorites in Houston, with the total dropping to 213.5 points.

Stay on top of the latest NBA updates direct from Las Vegas!

Thurs, Dec 16	NBA Betting Notes
Point Spread:	New York Knicks -5 at Houston Rockets
Total:	213.5 Points
Game Time:	8:10pm ET / 5:10pm PT
Arena:	Toyota Center in Houston
TV:	AT&T Sports Net Southwest

Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks Predictions

The 12-16 New York Knicks limp into Houston for their second head-to-head meeting with the 9-19 Houston Rockets at The Toyota Center on Thursday night. These teams last met in late November at Madison Square Garden, in a game where the Knicks prevailed by a score of 106-99. The Rockets didn’t give themselves a chance to win the game, as they tuned the ball over 22 times and shot a pitiful 59% from the free throw line.

Thursdays game will be all about doing the simple things for Houston. Take care of the basketball and hit easy shots. However the Rockets are playing the second game of a back-to-back after getting absolutely demolished by a score of 124-89 in Cleveland against the Cavs. The Rockets have struggled defensively as they allow 112.6 points a game. If they want to come out with a victory against the Knicks, they will need a far better effort than allowing 124 points to an inept Cavs offense.

However, Houston has a problem… As of Wednesday afternoon Christian Wood, Eric Gordon and Kevin Porter Jr have all popped up on the injury report. Meaning the Rockets will be without three of their top four scorers on Thursday night. Christian Wood leads the team in scoring, rebounding and blocks. Without Wood they won’t have anyone to challenge Julius Randle at the rim. That’s a real problem…

The New York Knicks have lost 6 of their last 7 games, including a 105-96 home loss to Golden State on Steph Currys record breaking night. The Knicks are back to being one of the biggest disappointments in the Eastern Conference and are going to be short-handed as well. RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin and Quentin Grimes are all in Covid health and safety protocols. This means it once again falls on the shoulders of Julius Randle to score a bunch of points and hope to get help from somewhere. The Knicks have alot of work to do on defense, which will be a tough assignment without one of their best defenders in RJ Barrett.

The Knicks are favored by five points with the total set at 213.5. The Knicks are only averaging 105.5 points a game, while Houston averages 106.9. The Rockets can score and play uptempo, but they are lacking in scoring with their recent injuries. The Rockets are 15-13 against the spread to the under, while the Knicks are 16-12 ATS to the under.

With all the injuries it’s tough to back either side with any confidence. Instead we are going to make the under our official play, due to the lack of scoring options and Houston playing a back-to-back. Julius Randle is the best player on the court by far and will get all the shots he can handle. The Rockets are a magnet for personal fouls, so Randle should get plenty of trips to the charity stripe. Randle’s point prop is set at 22.5, he scored 31 last time out against the Warriors, who are the league’s No. 1 defense. We will roll with Randle over 22.5 points for our player prop.

Official Play: UNDER 213.5
Official Player Prop: Julius Randle Over 22.5 Points

🎄Looking to take your betting to the next level in 2022? Check out our End-of-Year special: Buy a 90-Day All-Access pass from your favorite handicapper, and we’ll double it to 180 days at no additional cost. All plays. All games. All sports.
➡️https://t.co/bcT1PMtvnV pic.twitter.com/BeGrFOVH88

— WagerTalk (@WagerTalk) December 16, 2021

Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks Analysis from The GoldSheet

The Knick defense has fallen on hard times, much to the chagrin of HC Tom Thibideau. The defensive guru has been cringing as he’s watched his team allow 117.4 pts. per 100 possessions in the recent downdraft, 10% more than during last season when the Knicks were 4th in the NBA in that category. The Knicks have won 4 straight against Houston, including this season’s 106-99 decision at the Garden on Nov. 20 and this time around they catch Houston unrested with the Rockets coming home for a one-night-stand at the Toyota Center. This is Houston’s only home game in a 16-day stretch of unrelenting travel, and they are playing their 5th game in 7 days. The Knicks have been a successful road favorite the last few seasons, sporting 14-6 SU and 13-7 spread marks for 2 years.

Thursday’s NBA Stat Sheet

Each day, WagerTalk handicapper Ralph Michaels puts together his NBA Stat Sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Click here to download Thursday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks contest.

NBA Tip-Off Show

Join Joe Raineri, Tony Finn, Skee Profit 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 Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks clash, from a betting perspective.

WagerTalk Live Odds Screen

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 Thursday’s NBA games, including this Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks showdown, from your desktop or phone.

**************************************************

Looking for more free sports picks and sports betting tips?

• Latest Betting Odds and Public Action: Vegas lines updated in real time, including who the public is betting on.
• Last Minute Handicapping Advice: Check out our extensive library of handicapping tips and advice from professional Vegas handicappers (we also recommend taking the time to look over our sports betting tips video library)
• Want an expert opinion? Check out the latest Free Sports Picks and Best Bets from our team of expert sports handicappers.

Make sure to bookmark all the above!