Rockets at Knicks, Jan. 17: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet
The Rockets conclude a difficult road trip with Wednesday’s game at Madison Square Garden versus the New York Knicks (23-17).
Houston (19-20) is just 4-14 on the road this season, and they are 1-4 on the current six-game trip, all versus Eastern Conference teams.
If you’d like last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We have the latest point spread, money line odds and over/under number, as well as all the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet.
Wednesday’s game starts at 6:30 p.m. Central and can be seen on the Space City Home Network and NBA League Pass.
Here’s a look at Wednesday’s lines:
- Point spread: Knicks -4.5
- Money line: Knicks -200 / Rockets +165
- Over/under: 220.5
Rockets at Knicks injury report:
Advice and prediction
This road stretch is Houston’s longest of the 2023-24 season and the longest for the franchise in more than a decade. And as the days have mounted, the performances have gotten gradually worse.
In the second and third games, the Rockets lost in overtime in Chicago before winning at Detroit. But since then, they’ve been largely dominated in a pair of losses at Boston and Philadelphia.
The good news is that while the Knicks are a quality team, they are generally viewed as a tier below the Celtics and 76ers. Thus, before finally heading home, Alperen Sengun and the Rockets could have a realistic opportunity to climb back to .500 and keep pace in an extremely tight race for the No. 10 spot in the Western Conference standings (and the final spot of the West play-in tournament).
Predicting a straight-up win might be too aggressive, but we’ll take an incentivized Rockets team to keep the margin close. Houston won’t play again until Saturday versus Utah, so expect Ime Udoka to aggressively chase a win, if at all possible. And if Brunson doesn’t play, the Knicks aren’t as good as their record would indicate.
Prediction: Knicks 111, Rockets 108
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
