Hawks Big Favorites Over Rockets Tonight

The Houston Rockets will come into their game against the NBA East-leading Atlanta Hawks with a lot of confidence coming off a win against the Cleveland Cavilers.

Confidence does not determine the odds and they will be without MVP candidate James Harden for this contest who was suspending after kicking Lebron James in the groin in the last game.

The Hawks range from -6.5 favorites on some sites all the way up to -9-point favorites over at Bovada. The Hawks have only lost four games since 2015 and are 47-12 straight up and 34-25 against the spread.

Despite having one of the best records in the NBA, Atlanta’s spread seems to be bigger with each passing passing game resulting in them not being such a sure-fire bet as teams in a similar position.

Another worry is with a nine-game lead in the East, Atlanta has all but officially punched their ticket to the playoffs so their motivation to leave it all in the court is becoming to come into question.

The Rockets are going to feel like they are the best team coming into this game despite the absence of Harden. Houston is also still without star center Dwight Howard. It is among these factors that we see the Rockets as big underdogs against the Hawks.

This is the second meeting between these two teams this season. Atlanta won that game, 104-97 from the underdog position (-5-point underdogs).

The total is set at 199 points. Atlanta’s defense is ranked in the upper echelon of the NBA. Houston’s defense will likely step up as they are coming down the stretch of the season as well. The Rockets are also without their top offensive performer, so the smart money may be on the UNDER.