Don’t Let Houston’s Huge NBA Betting Line vs Magic Scare You Off

There are a number of teams that have a genuine shot at making it all the way to the NBA Finals this year, but getting there often means getting a seeding that gives you the easiest path possible to the Championship. Ideally, a top 4 finish in the conference is the way to go, as that guarantees at least one round of home court advantage. That jockeying for position is what makes the final month of the season so much fun to watch. This is the Rockets’ situation and their NBA betting line proves they will fight to get in the race. Time: Tuesday, 8 p.m. ET Venue: Toyota Center, Houston National TV: none Opening line: Rockets -12 (202)

NBA Betting Line Analysis and Game Preview

The Houston Rockets currently hold the 4th spot in the Western Conference, but you can bet that they have one eye on the San Antonio Spurs, as the defending champs have hit a hot streak that has hauled them into the 5th place spot. Making things a little more uneasy for the Rockets has been their inconsistent play of late. They are on a win 2, lose 2 streak right now that has seen them go a mediocre 6-4 in their last 10 games. The Rockets did break a 2-game losing streak with a nice win over the LA Clippers, who are another team that are going to be fighting tooth and nail to land a top 4 spot in the conference. On the plus side of things, the Rockets are getting an MVP type performance out of James Harden this year. This is a team that will go as far as Harden can carry them come playoff time. The Orlando Magic have no such concerns, as they have fallen out of the playoff picture pretty dramatically. They have gone 2-8 in their last 10 games, and now sit 10 games back of the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. It looks as though the next big milestone for this team is being officially eliminated from playoff contention. The Magic are close to the bottom of all the major offensive and defensive stats, which is exactly what you would expect from a team that is inching towards the cellar in the conference standings. Orlando is in the midst of a 4-game losing streak right now, and they are going to have their work cut out for them if they want to stop that streak from getting longer on Tuesday night versus Houston.

Key Betting Trends

Houston is 2-4 SU in its last 6 games Orlando is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games The total has gone OVER in 4 of Orlando’s last 6 games The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Orlando’s last 15 games

What Should You Bet On?

As inconsistent as the Rockets have been over the past couple of weeks, they should still have more than enough to handle the faltering Orlando Magic. I like the Rockets to win this one in quite comfortable fashion.