Houston Rockets vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 15/03/2024, 14:09  by Kennedy Kechula in NBA Predictions

The red-hot Houston Rockets will be at home to welcome the Cleveland Cavaliers for their next NBA regular season fixture. They come to this match having moved to 11th in the Western Conference while the Cavs are third in the East. The Rockets are in the best form they have been in since winning five in a row in December. Ime Udoka’s men have managed six wins in their last seven games and are currently on a four-match winning run. This hot streak has moved them up in the West standings and remain with an outside chance at clinching a playoff spot. Houston, who have compiled a 31-35 record, are now 3.5 games adrift of the play-in places. They are coming off a dominant 135-119 home victory over the Wizards. Cam Whitmore and Alpren Sengun missed the game due to injuries. Both players have missed the last two matches and could be on the sidelines again here. The Rockets have averaged 116.7 points over their last three matches.

The Cavaliers are coming off a big win that saw them end a two-game skid. J.B. Bickerstaff’s men defeated the in-form Pelicans 116-95 to begin a short three-game road trip. This was their 42nd victory of the season and left them half a game back of second place. Cleveland have dominated this matchup with Houston over the years and will arrive here fully confident of a win. They have won six times in the last seven meetings with the Rockets and are currently on a three-game winning run against them. The Cavs won the first meeting of the season 135-130 in OT at home back in December. Donovan Mitchell scored 37 points in that game. The guard returned against the Pelicans after being sidelined for two weeks with a knee issue. His return is a big boost as he is Cleveland’s leading scorer, averaging 27.7 points. Max Strus and Evan Mobley have missed the last seven and six matches respectively with injuries and could be sidelined again here. The Cavs have averaged 109.3 points over their last three matches.