Cavaliers vs Rockets Prediction NBA Picks 3/16/24

Houston Rockets (31-35) vs Cleveland Cavaliers (42-24)

Game Info: Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 5:00 pm (Toyota Center)

Betting Odds: Houston Rockets +2.5 -- Over/Under: 217.5

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets meet Saturday in NBA action at the Toyota Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets prediction.

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been in decent shape as they've split their last 10 games and they will be hoping to build some momenutm after blowing past the Pelicans in a 116-95 road win on Wednesday. Darius Garland led the team with 27 points and 11 assists on 10 of 16 shooting, Jarrett Allen added 17 points with 10 rebounds and two blocks while Georges Niang chipped in with 16 points. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 51 percent from the field and 20 of 45 from the 3-point line as they played great defense to keep the Pelicans in check in the first half to take the early lead, before they exploded for 34 points in the third quarter to lead by as many as 27 points and make it a blowout on the road.

Houston Rockets

Meanwhile, the Houston Rockets have been in great form as they've won six of their last seven games overall and they will be gunning for a fifth straight win after blowing past the Wizards in a 135-119 home win on Thursday. Jalen Green led the team wth 37 points on 15 of 23 shooting, Fred VanVleet added 27 points with nine assists while Ausar Thompson chipped in with 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists on nine of 12 shooting. As a team, the Rockets shot a healthy 58 percent from the field and 12 of 28 from the 3-point line as they hit the ground running and exploded for 42 points in the second quarter to build a 24-point lead, which was more than enough to hold off a late charge from the Wizards.

Houston Rockets Player Facts

• Fred VanVleet ranks 5th amongst qualified players for assist:turnover ratio (4.5) this season.
• Jabari Smith Jr. ranks 22nd amongst qualified players for rebounds per game (8.5) this season.

Cleveland Cavaliers Player Facts

• Donovan Mitchell ranks 1st in the Eastern Conference amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.8) this season.
• Jarrett Allen is one of only five players in the league to have recorded a double-doubles in 10+ consecutive games this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Rockets rank 1st in the league for opponent free throw percentage this season (75.0%).
• The Rockets rank 2nd in the league for opponent three-point percentage this season (34.7%).
• The Cavaliers are one of only two teams with two players averaging a double-double this season.
• The Cavaliers rank 2nd in the league for Q2 opponent points per game this season (26.5).

Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets prediction

The Cavaliers are shorthanded again with Evan Mobley and Max Strus still out, while the Rockets are still missing Alperen Sengun and Cam Whitmore. The Cavaliers haven't been at their best lately, but they would've taken plenty of confidence from their dominant win over the in-form Pelicans on Wednesday, while the Rockets have been flying under the radar a bit lately as they've barely missed a step over their past seven games. These teams last met on Dec 18 and it was the Cavaliers who won by 135-130 in overtime, so while I'm expecting another close contest, I think we're going to see a similar result with the Cavaliers winning again.

The pick in this article is the opinion of the writer, not a PickDawgz site consensus.