The Houston Rockets (1-0) and Atlanta Hawks (1-0) will square off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. EDT from State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Ga. The game will be broadcast live on WANF.
The Hawks are -1.5 point favorites on the spread over the Rockets, with the over/under set at 227.5 total points. The Hawks are -118 moneyline favorites to win outright, while the Rockets are listed as +100 underdogs to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Rockets vs. Hawks predictions and NBA picks for Saturday, October 24.
Rockets vs Hawks Prediction
- Rockets vs Hawks pick: Under 227.5 (-106)
My Rockets vs Hawks best bet is on the Under, with the best price currently available at FanDuel. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
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Rockets vs Hawks Odds
- Rockets vs Hawks spread: +1.5 (-110), -1.5 (-110)
- Rockets vs Hawks over/under: 227.5 (-114o / -106u)
- Rockets vs Hawks moneyline: Rockets +100, Hawks -118
Rockets vs Hawks NBA Preview
Houston Rockets Betting Preview
Houston arrives in Atlanta on the second night of a back-to-back, and the schedule is not kind. The Rockets beat San Antonio 114-110 on Friday in a game that tipped off at 9:30 PM ET, then flew to Georgia for another game 24 hours later.
Alperen Sengun scored 29 points, Kevin Durant added 20, and Amen Thompson had 20 points and 10 rebounds before blocking Victor Wembanyama's tying layup attempt in the final seconds, with the total of 224 landing under the 224.5 line. Durant played 37 minutes, and Sengun and Thompson each played 36, a heavy workload for the first week of the season, so Houston will have to lean on its stars again on tired legs.
Reed Sheppard is also dealing with a knee bone bruise.
The Rockets opened the season with a 128-110 win over Dallas, and they've won four straight against Atlanta, including a 104-86 win in Atlanta last January and a 117-95 win in Houston, which makes for a pair of meetings that went well below tonight's number.
Atlanta Hawks Betting Preview
Atlanta has been dominant to start the season, but the results come with caveats. The Hawks opened with a 132-125 win at Orlando, where Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 31, and followed it Friday with a 128-81 rout of Charlotte, the largest margin of victory in franchise history.
Atlanta forced 27 turnovers in that game, with Dyson Daniels recording seven steals, so a good share of that scoring came off live-ball giveaways rather than half-court execution.
The Hawks played Friday too, with Jalen Johnson topping the starters at 29 minutes and Daniels, CJ McCollum and Onyeka Okongwu each playing 23 or fewer in the blowout, which leaves the rotation fresher than Houston's.
Mouhamed Gueye is dealing with a foot fracture, and Henri Veesaar is out for the season with a knee injury.
Rockets vs Hawks Pick, Betting Analysis
This is the type of game the "Line vs. Public Unders, Early" Bet Labs system was built for:
The total has been bet down to 227.5 from 230.5, and it moved that way even though roughly 90% of both bets and money are on the over.
When the line falls against that kind of one-sided public action, it points to sharp money on the under, and early in the season, when offensive rhythm is still uneven and chemistry is limited, that is where the best total value tends to sit.
The system is 8-0 this season, and tonight's setup fits the pattern.
The public is chasing last night's scores. Atlanta's 128-81 win and Houston's 128-110 opener make it easy to project fast, high-scoring basketball, but those results sit on top of turnover-driven points and a very small sample. Houston's Friday night game finished with 224 points, and last season's two meetings between these teams totaled 190 and 212.
With Houston playing its second game in two nights after a late tip and a flight, and its three best players logging heavy minutes, the Rockets have every reason to play a slower, more deliberate game.
If Atlanta has to score against a set defense instead of in transition, the pace should drop well below the blowout against Charlotte.
The risk is that both offenses have started well, Atlanta's pressure defense creates easy transition points, and Houston's Durant and Sengun can score from any spot on the floor.
The Hawks are averaging 130 points and the Rockets 121 through two games, both well above the 113 or 114 each that tonight's number implies, though that gap is a reason to expect regression rather than a reason to stay away.
Our system says the under is the play here.
Pick: Under 227.5 (-106)
