NBA Pick Against The Spread – Houston Rockets at Los Angeles Clippers

10:30 PM EST

Opening Line: Clippers -5.5 and 233
Current Line: Clippers -5 and 233

This is top of the line scheduling for a national TV game on TNT. These two teams are currently the number two and number five seeds in the west and I would wager this will be the most viewed Thursday night TNT slate so far this season. Leading up to this game is the number one seed in each conference facing off in the Lakers at the Bucks. With some health question marks for the Lakers, this is the better game to zero in on as both teams are fully expected to be at full strength. The Rockets are sporting a strong record, but they have been anything but a consistent this season. They have three losses in their past eight games and I have been too aggressive in playing them against bad teams, as all three of those losses were to sub .500 teams. The are generally okay on the road, with an 8-5 record, but when we narrow that scope to the generally more difficult western conference, it paints a different picture. They are just 2-3 on the road against western conference foes, including three straight, one of which at the Clippers. Speaking of playing at the Clippers, that is not an enviable situation for any team. The Clippers are 14-1 at home on the season, and the sole loss came in early November against the Bucks, in a game that both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sat out of. With the Clippers at full strength, playing them in Los Angeles is the most daunting task for any NBA team and it will be one where the Rockets will simply be the next to fail.

The Celtics -1 got the cover in Dallas in a 109-103 win. They were without Gordon Hayward which was not ideal as they were already missing Marcus Smart. They did not pull away with any level of comfortability until the fourth quarter, but once they got that multiple possession lead, they never looked back.

The win brings us to 33-25 on the season.