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Rockets vs. Heat Free NBA Pick

NBA betting preview and free pick for tonights matchup between the Rockets and the Heat. The Houston Rockets are a 3 1/2-point favorite…

NBA Basketball Betting – Houston Rockets at Miami Heat

To some, the Miami Heat (7-6 SU, 6-6-1 ATS) is a nice surprise in the NBA’s Southeast Division. On Monday night they will play host to the Houston Rockets (9-5 SU, 7-7 ATS) in NBA pro basketball sports betting action that is slated to begin at 7:30 PM ET at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

BetUS Sportsbook NBA Basketball Betting Odds: HOUSTON -3.5, Total 186.5

Here are some of the NBA pro basketball sports betting trends as they relate to this matchup:

* HOU has won and covered four of its last five games SU
* HOU has won and covered four of its last five road games SU
* HOU has played its last three road games OVER the total
* MIA has won and covered five of its last seven home games SU
* MIA has played 12 of its last 18 games UNDER the total
* MIA has played four of its last five home games OVER the total

Also…

* HOU has covered five of the last seven meetings
* Four of the last five meetings have gone OVER the total
* MIA has won four of the last five meetings SU as the home team
* MIA has had the shooting edge in six of the last nine meetings
* HOU has had the rebounding edge in four of the last six meetings
* HOU has made more 3-pointers in the last five meetings

The Rockets have gotten some good news because Yao Ming is back in the lineup’, having sat out a game against Dallas with a sore foot. He keyed the 100-95 win over Orlando on Saturday night with 22 points and 13 rebounds. Tracy McGrady has been playing through his rehab from knee surgery and is talking about taking some time off for his knee to get strengthened, but he had 17 points against the Magic and is slated to play against the Heat tonight. Houston has won three straight games on the road, holding the opposition to 92 points a game. On the season the Rockets have covered six of nine games. And they are second in the NBA in allowing just 90 points per game.

There are bright spots for the Heat, for sure. Shawn Marion has now scored 38 points with 23 rebounds in the last two games. And of course, Dwyane Wade is an early front-runner for the league’s MVP, posting averages of 28.9 ppg, five rebounds and two blocks a game, while shooting 50% from the field,

Miami is coming off one of its best offensive performances of the season, shooting 52% in beating the Indiana Pacers 109-100. Of course, Indiana is not a team that is particularly proficient on defense, and Houston is not likely to give things away as readily as the Pacers did in turning the ball over 21 times to the Heat. Here, it’s more possible that Ron Artest gets the chance to shut down someone like Michael Beasley, who has had sporadic moments of explosion but also can’t play defense and is prone to getting into foul trouble.

One thing you know about the Rockets is that even without Shane Battier, who is still sidelined, they play enough defense to be able to compete on the road with anyone, so laying points here against a team starting two rookies and without an imposing big man could be the wise play. We’ll lay the number with Houston, the 3.5-point underdog in the BetUS NBA pro basketball sports betting odds.

Our PLAY: HOUSTON -3.5 ***

By Cappers Picks

Articles on CappersPicks.com are written by Q (the Head Honcho) at Cappers Picks or by our resident "in house" handicapper Razor Ray Monohan! Enjoy the free picks folks! "Pad that bankroll one day at a time!"