Ming and McGrady are Good – Rockets vs. Bucks

The Houston Rockets are considered one of the top teams in the NBA even though their record doesn’t say it. Currently, Yao Ming and Tracey McGrady are 31 and 20, 9 games above .500 straight-up, and 23-27-1 against the BetOnline betting spread. They are a sports betting enigma showing up and obliterating teams on one night and then showing up and laying down like dead dogs on another night. The Rockets just aren’t consistent enough for most NBA betting fans.

The Milwaukee Bucks are a stranger team than the Houston Rockets. Even though their straight-up record of 24 and 29 makes them a loser in their division, their record against the spread is actually pretty good at 29-22-2. The Bucks have found a way to win games against the spread while blowing games straight-up. It might be because most basketball betting fans don’t pay attention to the Bucks.

Here are the BetOnline odds for this game.

Houston Rockets -6 ½ -110 O 195 -110

Milwaukee Bucks +6 ½ -110 U 195 -110

Here are a few online wagering trends that might help us find a good online bet in this game.

The Houston Rockets are 1-4-1 against the spread in their last 6 versus a team from the NBA Central Division.

The Houston Rockets are 1 and 4 against the spread in their last 5 games on the road.

The Milwaukee Bucks are 9 and 0 against the spread in their last 9 games versus a team from the NBA Southwest Division.

The Milwaukee Bucks are 2 and 6 against the spread in their last 8 games at home.

The Bucks will be without their best player, Michael Redd, who is out for the season. That in itself means that the Houston Rockets cover the spread, right?

I’m not so sure. Even without Redd, the Bucks have been playing very well. Yes, Milwaukee hasn’t beaten a spread in two straight games but one of those was against the Detroit Pistons and they lost against the spread by only a ½ point in overtime.

Houston has only covered 4 games in their last 10. That makes them an iffy proposition to cover in tonight’s game not matter how much better they look on paper.

I’m going to have to roll the dice in this game and go with the Milwaukee Bucks. They don’t have the better team, but they are getting points from a team that has trouble covering spreads.

I’ll be making a basketball bet on the Milwaukee Bucks at +6 ½ against the Houston Rockets in the online sportsbook.