Memphis Grizzlies @ Houston Rockets - January 13, 2025

Alright, folks! It’s game day, and I can feel the excitement buzzing through the city like a playoff atmosphere. Tonight, we’ve got a showdown between our Memphis Grizzlies and the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. You know I’ll be rocking my lucky jersey for this one because when it comes to these two teams, anything can happen!

Let’s break it down. The Rockets come into this game as slight favorites, opening at -3 points. They’re riding high on a three-game winning streak and have shown some solid form lately. Their offense averages about 113 points per game with a shooting percentage hovering around 44%. Not too shabby! However, they’ve struggled from beyond the arc with just over 32% shooting from three-point land. But hey, they make up for it by crashing the boards hard—grabbing nearly 49 rebounds per game.

On the other side of the court, we have our Grizzlies who are no slouches either! They’re averaging an impressive 123 points per game with a field goal percentage of almost 48%. That’s right; they know how to put the ball in the basket! And let’s not forget their three-point shooting is better than Houston’s at nearly 37%. With that kind of firepower, you’d think they’d be unstoppable.

Defensively though? Both teams have their quirks. The Rockets allow about 19 fouls per game while forcing turnovers at a rate that could use some improvement—over 13 turnovers lost each night isn’t ideal. Meanwhile, Memphis has been slightly more aggressive defensively but also struggles with fouls (over 21 per game). This could lead to some free throw opportunities for both sides.

Now let’s talk about recent matchups: Houston edged out Memphis in their last encounter with a close score of 119-115 back in January. That was a nail-biter! But tonight feels different; Memphis is coming off an exhilarating win against Minnesota where they scored 127 points! If they keep that momentum going and play smart basketball without racking up those fouls, I believe they can pull off an upset.

However, my gut tells me that Houston will find a way to cover that spread tonight. They’ve been playing well at home despite their recent struggles against the spread there (1-4 ATS in their last five). But given their current form and home-court advantage, I’m leaning towards them taking this one.

As for totals? With both teams capable of scoring but also showing tendencies to go under recently (Houston has hit under in four of its last six), I’m predicting this one stays under tonight as well.

So here’s my prediction: Rockets take down the Grizzlies tonight while covering that spread—and expect it to stay under total points as both defenses tighten up when it matters most. Let’s go get ‘em boys!