NBA Playoff Odds Preview: Spurs vs. Rockets
Down 3-2 heading home for Game 6, the Houston Rockets need a win against the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night to avoid elimination. The Rockets are listed as 7-point home favorites for Game 6 at the Bovada Sportsbook.
The Spurs took a 3-2 series lead on Tuesday night thanks to a close 110-107 overtime victory as a 5.5-point favorite. Manu Ginobili delivered a game-saving block on James Harden at the buzzer to secure the victory for San Antonio.
Harden had a triple-double for Houston in the loss with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
Kawhi Leonard led San Antonio with 22 points and 15 rebounds, but ended up missing the overtime period after suffering an ankle injury in the third quarter. Leonard says he’ll be ready to play on Thursday, but his status is a must-watch for bettors.
Surprisingly the Spurs fared quite well when Leonard sat out this season. Leonard missed eight games during the regular season, but the Spurs were 7-1 straight up and 6-2 against the spread in those games. One other important note, four of those wins were against non-playoff teams Phoenix, Brooklyn, Sacramento and Dallas, and even without Leonard the Spurs were favored in five of those games.
Injuries have been a factor for more than just Leonard. San Antonio is already missing veteran point guard Tony Parker, who is done for the season due to a quad injury. Houston is also without forward Nene Hilario for the rest of the season due to a torn adductor.
Game 6 is back in Houston where both teams already have a win in the series. In Game 3 the Spurs delivered a 103-92 win as 5.5-point favorites. Game 4 went to the Rockets, who covered the 5-point spread in a 125-104 victory. However, if you include the regular season the Spurs are a dominant 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five games in Houston, with two of those wins coming as the underdog.
For totals bettors, betting the OVER has been quite lucrative in this series and in this matchup. Four of the five games in the series have gone OVER the posted total and five of the last six between Houston and San Antonio overall. During their playoff run the Spurs have been an OVER bettor's dream with an 8-1 OVER record.