Pro Basketball Picks: Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets

Sacramento Kings vs. Houston Rockets
Tuesday, 12/31/13, 7:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Houston -10
Current Betting Line: Houston -9.5
Opening Total: 212.5
Current Total: 214
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

The Sacramento Kings haven't had much success on the road during the 2013-14 NBA campaign — The Sacramento Kings haven’t had much success on the road during the 2013-14 NBA campaign

Sacramento has alternated wins and losses over its last five games, as it comes off a 112-104 setback to the San Antonio Spurs as 12-point road underdogs Sunday, while going OVER the betting total for a sixth consecutive contest. The Kings have gotten great production from forward Rudy Gay since acquiring him from the Toronto Raptors, as he’s scored 20 or more points in six of nine games with the franchise. It’s important to point out that the team is 3-9 SU on the road, including 2-6 versus Western Conference opponents, which is hard to ignored when looking over the pro basketball odds page. Sacramento is 0-4 SU and 2-1-1 ATS as road underdogs of 9.5 to 12 points this season.

The Kings have dropped nine of their last 12 games against the Rockets, but did pick up a 106-91 victory as 6.5-point home underdogs in the last meetings on Dec. 15. Sacramento has scored 100 or more points in 12 of its last 13 games—averaging 104.0 points over that span. Center DeMarcus Cousins leads the squad in scoring 22.9 points and grabbing 11.2 rebounds per game.

Houston had its three-game winning streak snapped last time out, as it suffered a 117-86 defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder as 4.5-point road underdogs Sunday, while going UNDER the betting total for a fourth consecutive affair. The Rockets are 13-4 SU at the Toyota Center, including a 6-4 mark versus conference rivals, which is important to consider when making your pro basketball picks. Houston is 12-1 SU and 8-5 ATS as home favorites of 9.5 to 12 points the last two-plus seasons, with the UNDER going 10-3 in that situation.

The Rockets have gone a remarkable 34-7 SU at this venue in the month of December since 2008, while they rank behind just three teams in scoring 105.7 points per game. Houston is third overall in shooting 47.4 percent from the floor, with all five starters averaging 10 or more points per game, including shooting guard James Harden at 23.4 points a contest.