NBA BetStream returns on Tuesday night as the Houston Rockets take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in NBA Emirates Cup Play. The Timberwolves are 3-point favorites against the upstart Rockets with a total of 220.5.
You can find our NBA BetStream on the NBA League Pass App, brought to you by DraftKings Sportsbook. Matt Moore and Jeff Pratt will give you pregame best bets for Rockets-Wolves along with Spurs–Jazz and Bulls–Wizards. They'll provide live betting opportunities and analysis on futures plays like Most Valuable Player, NBA title, and how to bet the NBA Cup.
Here are Matt Moore's bets for Rockets-Wolves.
You can click here to watch the NBA BetStream for Rockets vs. Wolves.
| Rockets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+3.5 -112 | 220.5 -110o / -110u | +136 |
| Timberwolves Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-3.5 -108 | 220.5 -110o / -110u | -162 |
Best Bets: Rockets +3.5, Moneyline +136
I project this at Wolves -2.2 with Minnesota's above-average home court advantage. With normalized homecourt, I actually make the Rockets small road favorites.
The Wolves don't look right when you watch them. They're still good and will likely finish top-four in the West, maybe top-six factoring injuries. But since the Julius Randle trade, the Wolves are trying to be the team they were last year without Karl-Anthony Towns, and with Randle kind of stuck on the side. They don't seem prepared for when Randle isolates, and Anthony Edwards and Randle have almost no chemistry or synergy.
Minnesota is still good defensively, ninth-best in the league schedule-adjusted. But they're not the elite unit they were last year, and the Rockets absolutely are at fifth-best. Minnesota's offense is slightly better (14th to Houston's 15th), but the Rockets have been an overall better team.
Then there's the perimeter defense for Houston. With Dillon Brooks and Amen Thompson, the Rockets have defenders to throw at Edwards. Tari Eason is a great matchup against Randle and how often he isolates.
These two teams are excellent at defending the 3-point range, with Minnesota allowing the second-fewest attempts in the league behind Orlando and the Rockets coming in third, but with a lower percentage allowed. Their rotations and ability to contain are among the best in the league.
That said, they both have ways to generate offense inside the arc and particularly the on-ball shooting of Fred VanVleet and Edwards matters. Houston fouls often (sixth-highest opponent free throw rate) while Minnesota will surrender on-ball shooting with Rudy Gobert in drop coverage vs. pick and roll retreating to the rim.
I lean toward an over based on how much talent there is with these two teams and how likely it is that they push pace to get ahead of set defenses. The over is 9-7 in Wolves games this season. Houston unders are 10-7-1, however.
I'll stay away from the total and instead bet the Rockets to cover the 3.5, and since I'm taking the points, I'll bet the moneyline. Road underdogs who cover a spread of less than five points are 86% straight-up since 2014.
For more on Rockets-Wolves and all of tonight's action, tune into the NBA BetStream on the League Pass App.
