NBA 2022/23, on Tuesday, 06.12.2022
Everyone is looking forward to the World Cup quarter finals, but I won’t miss the NBA game between the Houston Rockets and the Philadelphia 76ers.
Handicap or not, I personally feel that there could be a bit of a surprise in this uneven duel. My present Rockets 76ers tip will show the reader exactly what I base my suspicions on.
These Rockets are a closed book for me. On the one hand, they have many weaknesses, but on the other hand, they usually manage to somehow stay in the game until the end.
A good example is last weekend, when the Texans lost a total of 47 balls – a turnover rate of 18.0 per 100 possessions, the highest for an NBA team in eight seasons.
Nevertheless, Houston managed to defeat both the Hawks and the Thunder in the end – and they were also able to cause a stir during the week. Most notably with an impressive 122-121 win over the Suns.
Saturday’s unexpected win over the Suns drew odds of around 5.50 on betting sites such as Bet365, which is an impressive reminder of how unexpected the victory was for the bookies.
The bottom line is that the Rockets do indeed have enormous potential. Jalen Green is the main driver, of course, but rookie Jabari Smith Jr. also impressed last week with his average of 19.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
Looking ahead to tonight, I smell the potential for another surprise or at least a very close match. Because the favored Sixers could be the next team to get blindsided by the Rockets.
In my Rockets 76ers tip, everything stands and falls on the use of a very specific player: James Harden. Because if the 76ers superstar does indeed play his first NBA game since 2 November as announced, the home side will probably be overwhelmed.
In Harden’s absence, which has now lasted a month, Shake Milton has filled in pretty well at his usual position, but I still expect Milton to have a much tougher time against the Texans on the board.
However, as nothing is 100% certain yet, I would recommend the reader to find out immediately before placing a bet whether “The Beard” will definitely be playing, as he will most likely tip the scales.
I could also imagine another defeat for the Sixers because they are already on a slight downward trend. The two December games so far – both away – were lost.
For example, they lost to the Cavs 85-113 in a game in which absolutely nothing happened on the road. That was the lowest output of the 76ers offence in the entire 2022/23 season.
The Sixers put on a slightly better performance against the Grizzlies shortly after, but I’ll stick with this: the persistent injury to James Harden and the occasional absences of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey are quickly turning this top team into an average team.
Interestingly, the 76ers have won their last three NBA games against the Rockets all by exactly 20 points.
However, all three of those head-to-head duels almost always took place in ideal conditions for the Sixers. This time, however, the game should be much more even.
On the one hand, because the Rockets could draft some talented players in the offseason and on the other hand, because James Harden could be out on Philadelphia’s side.
Not many on the betting markets share my optimism about a home win for the underdogs, though – at least nothing can be seen in that regard when looking at the red-hot Rockets 76ers odds.
According to the best sports betting providers when it comes to the NBA, it is the visitors who are clearly favoured with win odds of around 1.33 against the Texans with an average of 3.30.
Conclusion: The Rockets are a basket full of diamonds in the rough that still has a lot to learn in terms of game flow, possession and tactical allocation, there is no doubt about that.
However, the Texans are already showing how good they could be in the future. Just a few days ago, for example, they managed a win over the Suns that came out of nowhere for many.
Should the Sixers not be at their best tonight as guests at the Toyota Center and even start without James Harden, I could well imagine that the German bettors could be surprised by the final result this time as well.
My Rockets 76ers tip: The Texans win.
