Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors Predictions, Picks and NBA Preview – January 8, 2017

Houston Rockets vs. Toronto Raptors Betting Preview

Where: Air Canada Center, Toronto, ON

When: Sunday, January 8, 2017, 8:30 PM ET

Line: Houston Rockets (-2.5) at Toronto Raptors (+2.5); total: 226.0 – view all NBA lines

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Betting on the Houston Rockets (29-9)

Point Spread: -2.5

With the 100-93 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday, the Houston Rockets stay red hot with their seventh-consecutive victory (5-2 ATS) to remain just 2.5 games behind the top spot of the Western Conference standings.

That win also kept the Rockets undefeated with a 9-0 record in the second of back-to-back games this season. However, they really should’ve taken care of the struggling Magic with more ease on Friday, and their two-point win over Oklahoma City the day prior was too close for comfort as well.

Is Houston finally showing signs of regression of late? Based on James Harden’s disappointing evening against Orlando (14 points, 33-percent field-goal shooting and six turnovers), it’s highly possible indeed.

Then again, Harden, who is currently tops in the league at nearly 12 assists per game, also dished out 10 dimes in the win and got his teammates involved well instead of having a monster scoring night. Forward Ryan Anderson, in particular, bailed the Rockets out just in time by scoring all of his team-high 19 points in the second half.

All things considered; the Rockets remain the second-best team in the NBA behind only the Warriors when it comes to scoring and assists. But Harden’s MVP form has got to return on Sunday, as it really seems that his team is about to come unglued at any moment. A trip to Toronto is no walk in the park, and the Rockets could very well see their win streak come to an end if the bearded one doesn’t get his act together this weekend.

Betting on the Toronto Raptors (25-11)

Point Spread: +2.5

The Toronto Raptors suffered their fourth defeat in six games on Saturday as they came up short in overtime against the Chicago Bulls, 123-118. This really should’ve been an easy win for the Raptors, who led by as much as 19 in the third quarter before Chicago’s Jimmy Butler took over and finished with a whopping 42 points.

That’s not to say that Toronto’s stars were absent that night. DeMar DeRozan led his team with a sweet 36-point performance, and star guard Kyle Lowry nearly secured a triple-double with 27 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. However, the team connected on just eight of 31 shots from downtown (25.8 percent), which is highly unusual since the Raptors are currently second in the league with an efficient 38.9-percent mark from three-point range this season.

The Raptors have now lost ten-straight meetings against the Bulls, but the folks from the Windy City may be the only monkeys the Raptors can’t get off their backs just yet. Heck, they’ve actually beaten the Rockets at home in nine of their last 10 meetings themselves (SU/ATS).

In addition, Toronto is ranked third and right behind Houston in the scoring department this season with 110 points per contest, and its defense that’s giving up just 103.1 points per game is also good enough for 10th in the NBA as well. That being said, expect Sunday’s clash between two playoff contenders to go either way in spite of the Raptors’ recent struggles, all the while taking the Rockets’ own shaky play into consideration as well.

Writer’s Prediction

The Raptors (+2.5) come away with a huge home win over one of the West’s best teams, 109-105.

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