Rockets vs. Hornets odds, line: 2020 NBA picks, Feb. 4

February 4, 2020 Carlo Antonio Chan

The Houston Rockets (31-18) will face the Charlotte Hornets (16-34) in a cross-conference battle on Tuesday evening. James Harden leads the way for Houston, while Charlotte is keyed by Devonte’ Graham and Terry Rozier. Russell Westbrook (thumb) is listed as doubtful to play for Houston, while Clint Capela (heel) is out. The Hornets could also be dealing with injuries, headlined by PJ Washington (ankle), who missed the team’s game on Monday evening.

Tip-off is at 8 p.m. ET at Toyota Center. Sportsbooks list the Rockets as 13.5-point home favorites, holding steady from the opener, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 228.5 in the latest Hornets vs. Rockets odds. Before making any Rockets vs. Hornets picks or NBA predictions, see what SportsLine’s advanced computer model has to say.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times, and last season it returned a whopping $4,280 on its top-rated NBA spread and money line picks. It’s already returned over $3,000 in profit on all top-rated NBA picks during the 2019-20 season and entered Week 16 on a blistering 34-18 run on all top-rated NBA spread picks. Anybody who has followed it has seen huge returns.

Now, the model has set its sights on Rockets vs. Hornets. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Now, here are several NBA betting lines and trends for Hornets vs. Rockets:

  • Rockets vs. Hornets spread: Rockets -13.5
  • Rockets vs. Hornets over-under: 228.5 points
  • Rockets vs. Hornets money line: Rockets -1297, Hornets +775
  • CLT: The Hornets are 2-5 against the spread in the last seven games
  • HOU: The Rockets are 4-3 against the spread in the last seven games

Why the Hornets can cover

The model realizes that Charlotte is facing an uphill battle, particularly when remembering that the Hornets are on the second night of a back-to-back. There are some strengths to rely on, however, with the Hornets functioning as a strong offensive rebounding team. That provides the potential for second-chance points that could be vital against Houston.

On the other end, the Hornets can make things difficult for the Rockets using a top-10 defensive turnover rate and overall havoc. Charlotte also rarely sends its opponents to the free-throw line, and that could be huge against a short-handed Rockets that often relies at generating shots at the charity stripe.

Why the Rockets can cover

Even so, Charlotte isn’t a lock to cover the Rockets vs. Hornets spread. The model has also considered that the Rockets are a fantastic offensive team. Even if Westbrook is unable to play, Houston can lean heavily on Harden, who is the best individual creator in the NBA world.

As a result, the Rockets have an elite offense from an efficiency perspective, headlined by a tremendous free-throw rate. In this matchup, Houston should be able to expose a Hornets defense that ranks near the bottom of the league. Defensively, the Rockets are closer to average, but Houston does create turnovers at a high level, with Charlotte struggling to take care of the ball. All told, there are a number of matchup edges for the Rockets, in addition to home-court advantage that is always critical.

How to make Rockets vs. Hornets picks

SportsLine’s model is leaning under on the total, with Westbrook unlikely to play and both Graham and Rozier projected to fall short of their scoring averages. The model also says one side of the spread hits in almost 70 percent of simulations.

source : cbssports