We’ve got an incredibly barren slate today and this looks like the best play on the board. Neither of these sides is particularly good offensively and I think the current total of 222 is probably a bit too high.
The Hornets enter this one on the 2nd night of a B2B and may play at a slower pace as a result. Gordon Hayward also left yesterday’s game with a hip strain and his potential absence would really limit the Hornets offense.
Toronto is also playing their first game back at home after an extended road trip, where teams tend to score slower than average. Points will likely be at a premium here and all the pre-game signs point to the under.
There isn’t any line for this one after the Harden trade and we may even see more moves from Houston before tip-off. That said, the first game after trading a big-name player, the rest of the team usually steps up.
This is likely to be especially true for this Houston side, after a number of players publicly called out James Harden. Assuming the rest of Houston’s rotation is available here, I think they’ve got a reasonable shot at the upset.
San Antonio certainly aren’t world beaters, as their recent 2-game series with the lowly Wolves showed. I’d expect a big number for Houston here, which I’d be inclined to take.