BetAnySports Game Line: Houston -3.5

BetAnySportsTotal Line: 224

This Thursday night’s betting action in the NBA gets underway with an inter-conference clash between the Houston Rockets and the Charlotte Hornets in a 7 p.m. (ET) tip at the Spectrum Center.

Houston at Charlotte Game Preview

Houston will break up an extended six-game home stand with this lone road game against Charlotte. The Rockets have already gone 3-1 straight-up in the first four games following Tuesday’s 128-104 romp over Orlando as 12.5-point home favorites with BetAnySports. This was just the second time they covered against the spread in their last eight contests and the total has gone OVER or ended as a PUSH in five of their last eight games.

The Rockets are second in the NBA in scoring with an average of 114.3 points per game and leading the way has been James Harden with 28.9 PPG, which is the third-highest scoring average in the league. He led the team with 25 points in Tuesday’s win while also dishing out 13 assist. He is first in the NBA in that category with 11.4 assists a game. The main issue for Houston all season long as been at the other end of the court with a points-allowed average of 108.2.

The Hornets are still tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference despite going 1-7 SU in their last eight games. Charlotte finally snapped that seven-game skid with Tuesday’s 111-107 victory against Brooklyn, but it could not cover BetAnySports’ closing spread as a 10-point home favorite. Its record ATS now stands at a costly 1-7-1 over its last nine contests. This was the first of four straight games at home where the Hornets are 16-10 SU with a 12-14 record ATS.

Kemba Walker continues to be the driving force on the team with a scoring average of 22.7 PPG while shooting 44.8 percent from the field. The one good sign in Tuesday’s win was some solid balance with seven players scoring in double figures. The Hornets are tied for 16th in the league in scoring with 105.2 PPG and they improve to ninth in points allowed (104.4). However, during this current slide, they allowed 109 points or more in six of the seven losses.

Houston at Charlotte Free Game Prediction

You almost have to go with Houston in this West vs. East matchup as the much better team, but my “best bet” pick would still be the OVER on BetAnySports’ 224-point total line in what should be a high-scoring affair.