Rockets at Pistons, Jan. 12: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet
As they enter Friday’s action, the Houston Rockets (18-18) have lost three of their last four games and are just 3-12 on the road this season.
Making matters worse, starting Saturday night, they will have three games on the road versus a trio of Eastern Conference contenders: Boston (29-8), Philadelphia (23-13), and New York (22-15).
So, leading into that stretch, there’s a lot of pressure on Ime Udoka’s Rockets to bank a win on Friday night in Detroit — where the Pistons (3-35) are arguably the NBA’s worst team in a generation.
Detroit is also short-handed, with third-year star Cade Cunningham among the absences. On the other hand, Houston isn’t at full-strength, either, with Tari Eason and Dillon Brooks still sidelined.
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.
Friday’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 Friday’s lines:
- Point spread: Rockets -7.5
- Money line: Rockets -300 / Pistons +240
- Over/under: 227.5
Rockets at Pistons injury report:
Advice and prediction
In the aftermath of Wednesday’s overtime heartbreaker in Chicago, Alperen Sengun and the Rockets were focused on an underwhelming first half, which built a deficit that was hard to recover from.
With that as a clear point of emphasis, and with Friday’s matchup at lowly Detroit a key game for the Rockets to win, we’ll take Houston to exceed its first-half spread (-4.5) as the best bet.
The Rockets routed the Pistons 11 days ago, and the change in venue shouldn’t be enough to dramatically alter the result.
Prediction: Rockets 118, Pistons 109
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
