The Houston Rockets (19-9) travel to face off against the Charlotte Hornets (7-21) on Monday, December 23rd. This game will be played at Spectrum Center in Charlotte and televised on SCHN. The Rockets are coming off a win in their previous game, while the Hornets are looking to get back on track from a loss to the Hornets. Tip-off is set for 7:00 ET.

Rockets vs Hornets

The Rockets Are Coming Off A Win

The Rockets improved to 19-9 on the season with a 114-110 win over the Raptors on Sunday. Houston was favored by 9 points but didn’t cover the spread, and the total score of 224 points narrowly went over the O/U line of 222.5.

Toronto went on a 10-0 run early, but Houston chipped away at the lead, winning each of the last three quarters. They took an 84-83 lead into the 4th quarter and outscored the Raptors 30-27 in the final period to seal the win.

The Hornets Are Coming Off A Win

Charlotte fell to 7-21 on the season following a 108-98 loss to the 76ers on Friday. The Hornets, who were +13 point underdogs, managed to cover the spread. The game’s total score of 206 points fell short of the 213.5 O/U line.

Charlotte’s slow start saw them down 41-23 after the 1st quarter. They responded by winning the 2nd quarter 23-17, but a 10-0 run by the 76ers stretched the lead to 65-46. The Hornets fought back, closing the gap to 85-71 going into the 4th, where they outscored Philadelphia 27-23.

Rockets Offense Breakdown

In their win over the Raptors, the Rockets shot 44.9% from the field, but struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just 25% of their threes with 7 makes. Dillon Brooks led the way with 27 points, shooting 50% from the field and adding 6 rebounds.

Jalen Green contributed 22 points, while Alperen Sengun added 17 points and 10 rebounds. Brooks scored 13 points in the 3rd quarter, and Cam Whitmore added 8 of his 11 points in the 4th.

Hornets Offense Breakdown

In their 98-point effort against the 76ers, the Hornets shot 46.2% from the field and connected on 10 threes at a 32.3% clip. Vasilije Micic led the way with 20 points, hitting 3 threes at 37.5% efficiency, while Miles Bridges added 15 points despite shooting just 30.8% from the floor.

Micic scored 10 of his points in the 3rd quarter and added 7 more in the 4th. Bridges also came alive late, scoring 12 of his 15 points in the final period. DaQuan Jeffries contributed 12 points, and Cody Martin and Isaiah Wong each added 11, with Wong scoring 7 in the 3rd.

Rockets Team Defense

The Rockets gave up 35 points in the 1st quarter but tightened up defensively in the 2nd, allowing just 22 points. They continued their solid defense in the 3rd, giving up 26 points, and allowed 27 in the 4th, finishing with 110 points allowed in the win.

Houston allowed the Raptors to shoot 45% from the field and 39% from three, with Toronto hitting 17 threes. The Rockets sent the Raptors to the line 13 times, where they made 9 free throws. Defensively, the Rockets recorded 12 steals and 6 blocks.

Hornets Team Defense

Despite a rough start, the Rockets tightened up defensively after the 1st quarter, where they allowed 35 points. They gave up just 22 points in the 2nd quarter and 26 in the 3rd, helping them secure a win over the Raptors. Overall, Houston gave up 110 points on 45% shooting.

The Rockets struggled to defend the three, allowing Toronto to hit 17 threes at a 39% clip. However, they kept the Raptors off the free-throw line, where they went 9/13. Houston also recorded 12 steals and 6 blocks in the game.

Rockets vs Hornets Trends

• Through their last five road games, Houston has an ATS record of just 1-4. However, their overall record was 2-3 while averaging 106 points per game.
• Across the Hornets last ten home games, the team averaged 106 points per game while allowing 116. Their record vs the spread in these contests was 5-5, while going 1-9 straight-up.
• The last three games that Charlotte was the underdog, they have an ATS mark of 1-2 while going 0-3 straight up.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Rockets have gone 6-4 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 8-2.

Rockets vs Hornets Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Rockets to win, and have the projected score sitting at 134-116. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Rockets at -6.

Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 218.5 and given that our model is projecting 250 points between the teams, we like the over.

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All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

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* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.