Rockets vs Cavaliers Prediction

Cleveland Cavaliers (14-12) vs Houston Rockets (13-9)

Game Info: Monday, December 18, 2023 at 7:00 pm (Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse)

Betting Odds: Cleveland Cavaliers -5.5 -- Over/Under: 215.5

The Houston Rockets pay a visit to the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Monday night. Here's a Rockets vs Cavs prediction.

Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are starting to heat up again as they had reeled off five straight wins before they got stopped in their tracks by the Bucks in a 128-119 road defeat last night. Fred VanVleet led the team with 22 points and six assists, Alperen Sengun added 20 points with eight rebounds and five assists, Dillon Brooks scored 18 points while Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr scored 16 points each. As a team, the Rockets shot 52 percent from the field and 11 of 27 from the 3-point line but they allowed the Bucks off to a flyer and were always just a step behind after allowing 71 points in the first half.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers have won six of their last 10 games overall and they will be looking to build some momentum after putting a halt to a three-game skid with a 127-119 win over the Hawks on Saturday. Jarrett Allen led the team with 25 points and 14 rebounds on 12 of 14 shooting, Donovan Mitchell added 22 points with 13 assists while Isaac Okoro chipped in with 18 points on six of nine shooting. As a team, the Cavaliers shot 48 percent from the field and 16 of 42 from the 3-point line as they set the tone with 41 points in the first quarter to build a 23-point lead which was cut to just six points before the Cavaliers made a final run to earn the much-needed victory.

Cleveland Cavaliers Player Facts

• Donovan Mitchell ranks 2nd amongst qualified players for steals per game (1.9) this season.

Matchup/League Facts

• The Cavaliers rank 27th in the league for Q4 points per game this season (25.9).
• The Cavaliers rank 27th in the league for H2 points per game this season (53.6).
• The Rockets rank 1st in the league for opponent assists per game this season (22.8).
• The Rockets rank 1st in the league for opponent three-point percentage this season (31.4%).

Rockets vs Cavs prediction

The Cavaliers are still missing Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, but they have been in decent form and are coming into this one fresh off a win over the Hawks, while the Rockets were in great form before their tough loss to the red-hot Bucks. It's hard to split these two squads at the moment, but the Cavaliers have the advantage of extra rest and the Rockets have lost eight of their first 10 road games so far. Give me the Cavaliers to earn the narrow win and cover at home in this spot.

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