Houston Rockets AT Boston Celtics
January 10th, 2011 at 7:30 PM EST
Opening line: Boston -9
Current Line: Boston -9
Opening Total: 197
Current Total: 199
Opening Moneyline: Boston -500 / Houston +395
Current Moneyline: Boston -550 / Houston +375
Tonight could be the night that KG returns. Boston has been doing okay without him, but having him back will push them back into the elite status that they have attempted to establish thus far in the young season. KG is the anchor and heart of their defense, a defense that is the best in the league, and their 16-2 home record along with that is why NBA oddsmakers have set the line nearly in double digits for tonight’s game.
Houston hasn’t been tearing it up lately, either. They’ve won just 4 of their last 10 games and have fallen behind Memphis in the standings to sit at 10th in the Western Confernce. Kevin Martin has looked good and Scola has been amazing, but they haven’t had the depth to keep up with teams in the second quarter when most of their starters are resting.
After a 4 point loss in overtime, Scola voiced his frustrations,
“Same problems we were having early in the season, we have now. It’s frustrating. We deserved to win this game, but we didn’t know how to close it out.”
Their defense has been horrible, giving up 108.4 points per game over their last 7. Boston has the best field goal percentage in the league, so tonight’s game is a recipe for disaster for Houston.
Some betting trends:
Houston is 0-4-1 ATS in their last 5 games and 0-5 SU in their last 5. The total has gone UNDER in 4 of their last 6 on the road and they are 4-10 SU in their last 14 road games. They are 2-4 SU in their last 6 against the Celtics and the total has gone UNDER In 9 of their last 13 against Boston. They are 7-2 SU in their last 9 in Boston.
The total has gone UNDER In 8 of Boston’s last 11 games and they are 19-4 SU in their last 23. The total has gone UNDER In 4 of their last 6 at home and they are 11-1 SU over their last 12 at home. They are also 1-4 ATS in their last 5 at home. They are 8-15 ATS in their last 23 games against the Rockets and 1-8 ATS at home vs the Rockets.
Key Matchup:
Luis Scola vs. Kevin Garnett & Big Baby Davis
While Garnett is probable to play, Big Baby may see extended minutes as Garnett works his way back into playing shape. Scola will be an even match for either of them as he is having an excellent year with 20 ppg and 9 rpg. KG is the better defender of the two power forwards, so if he plays it will go a long way towards nuetralizing Scola, but Scola’s good play hasn’t been enough to rescue the Rockets recently, and it’s even more doubtful that it will against a great team like Boston.
NBA oddsmakers haven’t set the line close for tonight, and with good reason. Houston is 6-14 on the road and as mentioned Boston is 16-2 at home, making this the “blowout special” for tonight
