1-2 ytd
Despite beating the Knicks by 20 just 2 weeks ago, the Rockets find themselves a mere 2 1/2 point favorite tonight in New York. In that game the Rockets were without Ron Artest and Tracy Mcgrady, and Yao Ming was a nonfactor. The Rockets used a big 3rd quarter to blow open what had been a tight game. The Rockets have been playing well of late, going 7-2 since starting the new year 0-3. They are 3-1 during this stretch on the road, with wins over the Celtics and Pistons. The Knicks are another Eastern team still fighting for a playoff spot at the mid-point of the season. The Knicks are 1-4 this season when facing a team that beat them by 15 or more points in a previous matchup, and the scores weren't much closer the second time around. On the flip side, the Rockets are 3-0 when playing on the road against a team they beat by 12 or more at home. The Rockets are getting closer to full strength, which could spell trouble for a Knicks team that has lost eight straight to Houston. I find here a situation that I like to play, where you have a quality team that won a previous meeting by 20 and now only laying 2 1/2 on the road against a sub-.500 team. We won a 5* play Friday night by laying the small number with the Knicks when they played a team they had beaten earlier by 29 points. Now we'll play against the Knicks as we see no reason Houston doesn't roll to a 9th straight win over the Knicks.
5*
Despite beating the Knicks by 20 just 2 weeks ago, the Rockets find themselves a mere 2 1/2 point favorite tonight in New York. In that game the Rockets were without Ron Artest and Tracy Mcgrady, and Yao Ming was a nonfactor. The Rockets used a big 3rd quarter to blow open what had been a tight game. The Rockets have been playing well of late, going 7-2 since starting the new year 0-3. They are 3-1 during this stretch on the road, with wins over the Celtics and Pistons. The Knicks are another Eastern team still fighting for a playoff spot at the mid-point of the season. The Knicks are 1-4 this season when facing a team that beat them by 15 or more points in a previous matchup, and the scores weren't much closer the second time around. On the flip side, the Rockets are 3-0 when playing on the road against a team they beat by 12 or more at home. The Rockets are getting closer to full strength, which could spell trouble for a Knicks team that has lost eight straight to Houston. I find here a situation that I like to play, where you have a quality team that won a previous meeting by 20 and now only laying 2 1/2 on the road against a sub-.500 team. We won a 5* play Friday night by laying the small number with the Knicks when they played a team they had beaten earlier by 29 points. Now we'll play against the Knicks as we see no reason Houston doesn't roll to a 9th straight win over the Knicks.
5*
