Cavaliers vs Rockets Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Thursday, January 26th

Check out our free Cavaliers vs Rockets pick and preview for this NBA game in Houston. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Cavaliers vs Rockets NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Cleveland Cavaliers at Houston Rockets
Where: Houston at Toyota Center
Date: Thursday, January 26th
Betting Odds HOU +7.5, CLE -317 | HOU +252 O/U 223.0

The Cavaliers come into today’s matchup with an overall record of 29-20. So far, the team has gone 26-22-1 against the spread. Across the team’s previous 3 games, they have gone 1-2 straight-up and 1-2 vs the spread.

In their previous game, the Cavaliers were favored to win vs the Knicks. However, their 105-103 loss, gave them both a straight up and ATS loss. Cleveland was not able to turn things around in the 2nd half, as they trailed the Knicks by 2 going into halftime. In the loss, Jarrett Allen led the team in scoring with 24 points on a field goal percentage of 70.6%.

So far, the Rockets have put together an overall record of 11-37, while going 17-29-2 vs the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Houston has an overall record of 1-2, including going 1-2 against the spread.

Houston is trying to bounce back from a 108-103 loss to the Wizards. Going into this game, the team was 2 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. Houston went on to lose the game despite leading by 15 heading into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Alperen Sengün, as he contributed 21 points while hitting 62.5% of his shots.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

In last season’s head-to-head matchups, the teams split the season series. In these games, each team won on their home floor. In last year’s head-to-head meetings, the Cavaliers averaged 114.0 points per game vs Houston, which was an increase over their season-long average. However, the Rockets actually averaged fewer points per game than their season-long mark. Across their head-to-head matchups with Cleveland, the team averaged 102.0 points per game. Across the previous 5 meetings between the teams, the Cavaliers have an average scoring margin of +9 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 4-1. Cleveland and Houston averaged a combined 211 points per game in these games, leading to an over-under mark of 1-4.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

The Cavaliers come into today’s game as the 26th ranked scoring offense at 111.5 points per game. So far, the Cavaliers are averaging 96.2 possessions per game, which places them below the NBA average. Although the team tends to play at a more deliberate pace, they are currently one of the more efficient shooting teams, connecting on field goal attempts at a rate of 48.4%.

On the defensive end of the floor, the Cavaliers are giving up an average of 105.67 points per game, good for 5th in the NBA.

One situation to keep an eye on leading up the game is the availability of Donovan Mitchell, as he is currently questionable on the injury report. If he is able to play, the team will have it’s 1-2 punch availble as Mitchell leads the team in scoring at 28.3 points per game while Garland is 2nd at 21.7. For the season, Mitchell is 13th in the NBA in usage rate and 27th in player efficiency. Behind him, Garland has taken 19.7% of the team’s field goal attempts, connecting at a rate of 44.6%.

The Rockets come into today’s game as the 29th ranked scoring offense at 109.7 points per game. Coming into today’s game, the Rockets will be looking to improve their 3-point shooting numbers, as they are averaging just 11.4 made 3’s per game. If Houston continues to struggle with their outside shot, they may look to start playing with more pace, as they are currently 17th in the league in possessions per game.

Against the Cavaliers, the Rockets will need a stronger defensive effort as they are ranked just 30th in points allowed.

A key injury to note in this game is the absence of the Rockets 2nd leading scorer, Kevin Porter Jr.. In his 40 games, Porter Jr. is averaging 19.2 points per game while dishing out 5.6 assists and grabbing 5.4 rebounds. In his absence, the team will be looking for even more production out of Jalen Green, who leads the team and is 32nd in the NBA at 22.0 points per contest. For the season, he has connected on 41.4% of his field goal attempts while taking 20.3% of the team’s shots from the floor.