by Chuck Sommers
Wednesday, Jan 25, 2023
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
Where to watch: ATTSN-SW, BSOH
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Cavs -7; CLE -280, HOU +235
FanDuel: NL
BetMGM: NL
Caesars: Cavs -8; CLE -303, HOU +240
Season record
Cavs: 29-20
Rockets: 11-36
The second half of the basketball season is upon us, and what a cluster we've got in the standings right now, right? So many teams are in the playoff hunt, so many teams not expected to make the playoffs are in the process of trying to prove people wrong. You know who doesn't need to be made wrong? Our champion handicappers who have been killing it all year long. Scott Rickenbach is coming off a 5-2-0 week over the last seven days, while Doc's Sports has been efficient at 14-8-0 over the last 30 days. Do you want to get on this winning? Make sure you're following our champion handicappers at bigal.com to celebrate in these moments!
Cavs - Rockets preview, prediction and analysis
Recent form
Cavs: lost 105-103 at Knicks on Tuesday
Rockets: won 119-114 vs. Timberwolves on Monday
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be playing the Houston Rockets on Thursday, January 26 in Houston, Texas.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost against the New York Knicks Tuesday, January 24 in New York with a score of 105-103. The Cleveland Cavaliers currently rank 2nd in the Central Division. Julius Randle had 36 points and 13 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell had 24 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in his return from a three-game absence with a left groin strain. But he was stopped on his last three attempts at the rim and was slow to get up after falling to the ground in an effort to save the Cavaliers’ final possession, saying afterward his legs cramped.
“I went up to try and dunk it, both my legs cramped and my groin just tightened up and locked up on me so three things happened at the same time," Mitchell said.
Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, while Darius Garland added 22 points and six assists.
The Cavs are just 4-6 in their last 10 and 2-4 in the last six. In that time, they've gone 3-3 against the spread and are .500 (5-5) in the last 10 when playing the spread. The Cavs haven't fared well on Thursdays as of late, going 1-7 ATS in the last eight, but Cleveland is 8-2-1 in their last 11 against the spread against a team that hasn't done well at home, those who have a home winning percentage of less than .400.
The Houston Rockets won against the Minnesota Timberwolves last Monday, January 23 in Houston, Texas with a score of 119-114. The Houston Rockets currently rank 5th in the Southwest Division. Jalen Green scored a career-high 42 points for Houston. Coach Stephen Silas could see the drive in Green to perform better from the start Monday night.
“He was ready for tonight,” Silas said. “It was time for us to buckle down and have a focused game for 48 minutes and he was the leader of that tonight.”
Green said he was “a little bit in my head” after his bad game Saturday but was determined to turn things around. He was thrilled that his big game helped Houston end its skid.
“It feels good,” he said. “My guys relied on me, coaches relied on me. We needed that. We were desperate for it. We came out and executed.”
Rookie Tari Eason talked about the Houston's mindset entering Monday's game.
“I just told the team before the game, just be desperate,” Eason said. “And I think that’s what we did tonight. Everybody played desperate. Everybody played their tails off.”
That win against Minnesota may have snapped their 13-game losing streak, but the Rockets are still not safe from either the books or the outright. Houston is just 2-11 in their last 13 against the spread with the over going 7-6. The over, as it would have it, has hit in eight of the last nine Thursday games for Houston.
Prediction
This seems like the perfect game for Cleveland to iron everything out. The Cavs have covered in four of the last five meetings, primarily because of on-court talent, and that won't change at all. Cavs 116, Rockets 108
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be playing the Houston Rockets on Thursday, January 26 in Houston, Texas.
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost against the New York Knicks Tuesday, January 24 in New York with a score of 105-103. The Cleveland Cavaliers currently rank 2nd in the Central Division. Julius Randle had 36 points and 13 rebounds. Donovan Mitchell had 24 points, eight assists and eight rebounds in his return from a three-game absence with a left groin strain. But he was stopped on his last three attempts at the rim and was slow to get up after falling to the ground in an effort to save the Cavaliers’ final possession, saying afterward his legs cramped.
“I went up to try and dunk it, both my legs cramped and my groin just tightened up and locked up on me so three things happened at the same time," Mitchell said.
Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 12 rebounds for Cleveland, while Darius Garland added 22 points and six assists.
The Cavs are just 4-6 in their last 10 and 2-4 in the last six. In that time, they've gone 3-3 against the spread and are .500 (5-5) in the last 10 when playing the spread. The Cavs haven't fared well on Thursdays as of late, going 1-7 ATS in the last eight, but Cleveland is 8-2-1 in their last 11 against the spread against a team that hasn't done well at home, those who have a home winning percentage of less than .400.
The Houston Rockets won against the Minnesota Timberwolves last Monday, January 23 in Houston, Texas with a score of 119-114. The Houston Rockets currently rank 5th in the Southwest Division. Jalen Green scored a career-high 42 points for Houston. Coach Stephen Silas could see the drive in Green to perform better from the start Monday night.
“He was ready for tonight,” Silas said. “It was time for us to buckle down and have a focused game for 48 minutes and he was the leader of that tonight.”
Green said he was “a little bit in my head” after his bad game Saturday but was determined to turn things around. He was thrilled that his big game helped Houston end its skid.
“It feels good,” he said. “My guys relied on me, coaches relied on me. We needed that. We were desperate for it. We came out and executed.”
Rookie Tari Eason talked about the Houston's mindset entering Monday's game.
“I just told the team before the game, just be desperate,” Eason said. “And I think that’s what we did tonight. Everybody played desperate. Everybody played their tails off.”
That win against Minnesota may have snapped their 13-game losing streak, but the Rockets are still not safe from either the books or the outright. Houston is just 2-11 in their last 13 against the spread with the over going 7-6. The over, as it would have it, has hit in eight of the last nine Thursday games for Houston.
Prediction
This seems like the perfect game for Cleveland to iron everything out. The Cavs have covered in four of the last five meetings, primarily because of on-court talent, and that won't change at all. Cavs 116, Rockets 108
Betting trends
Cavs are 37-60 ATS on the road their last 3 seasons.
Cavs are 38-65 ATS after a game they failed to cover the last 3 seasons.
Rockets are 7-1 ATS as a home underdog of 6.5 to 12 points the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Cavs:
PG: Darius Garland
SG: Donovan Mitchell
SF: Isaac Okoro
PF: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen
Rockets:
PG: Jae'Sean Tate
SG: Jalen Green
SF: Eric Gordon
PF: Jabari Smith Jr.
C: Alperen Sengun
Injury report
Cavs: Donovan Mitchell (groin, questionable)
Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr. (foot, out)
Cavs: Donovan Mitchell (groin, questionable)
Rockets: Kevin Porter Jr. (foot, out)
Statistical leaders
Cavs:
Points: Donovan Mitchell -- 28.3
Rebounds: Jarrett Allen -- 9.7
Assists: Darius Garland -- 8.0
Rockets:
Points: Jalen Green -- 22.1
Rebounds: Alperen Sengun -- 8.9
Assists: Kevin Porter Jr. -- 5.6
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Houston Rockets prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily NBA projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
