James Harden is having a completely insane season for the Houston Rockets and can thank a couple of wins in December for helping with his season total numbers. The Rockets dropped the Grizzlies 113-103 on New Year’s Eve, just a couple of weeks after a 105-97 win in Memphis on December 15. Houston opens as a 6-point favorite tonight with the total Sportsbook pretty low at 206.
- The total has gone OVER in four of the Rockets’ last five games at home (avg. combined score: 234.2).
- The Grizzlies are 0-4 SU and ATS in their last four games vs the Rockets (avg. losing margin: 14.25).
- The Rockets are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games.
Grizzlies vs Rockets Game Center
Harden Continuing His MVP Campaign
With Chris Paul on the shelf long term, James Harden has put the Houston Rockets on his back and propelled them to the Southwest Division lead and a 15-6 record at the Toyota Center. Harden has scored more than 30 points in 16 consecutive games, including averaging a triple-double in the two games vs Memphis (37.5 PPG, 11 RPG, 11.5 APG).
In nine of those 16 games, Harden has scored more than 40 points, en route to becoming the league’s top scorer at 34.2 points per game this season, five points better than Steph Curry, who is in second place. Harden has hit a league-high 188 three-pointers along the way.
And it’s not just points for Harden – he’s third in the NBA with 8.8 assists per game and fourth in steals at 2.05 per game.
Grizzlies Do Not Match Up Well With Rockets
While the Memphis Grizzlies have the NBA’s best scoring defense, they do not match up well over 48 minutes with Houston. Memphis has the No. 25 three-point defense against a Houston team that is hitting 37 percent of its three-point attempts in January.
The sweet-shooting Harden is getting support from the recently acquired Austin Rivers, who has been outstanding since his arrival on Christmas Day.
The Grizzlies’ offense is No. 29 in the Association, scoring just 101.1 points per game on the season and a putrid 96.8 points per game while losing five of six this month.
My Pick For Tonight
Laying 6 points at home is a good spot for the Rockets here. Memphis is 3-7 SU and 2-8 ATS in its last 10 games and gives me no reason to back them at this number. I expect the Rockets to shoot better than the Grizzlies, rebound better than the Grizzlies and score better than the Grizzlies.
