The Houston Rockets are 6-4 straight up and 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games when facing elimination. The Rockets will try to keep their season alive this Thursday night with a win at home over the San Antonio Spurs.
Spurs vs. Rockets 2017 odds: Houston fights for playoff life as Game 6 betting favorite
The Houston Rockets face a must-win situation at home against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 6 on Thursday night, with the oddsmakers pegging them as the favorites.
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Houston is a seven-point betting favorite in Game 6 at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. In their last 17 games as a home favorite of seven points or less, the Rockets are 9-8 SU and 5-12 ATS.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets let a golden opportunity to take a 3-2 lead in this series slip away in Game 5. With Kawhi Leonard sidelined due to an ankle injury that he suffered in the second half, Houston failed to put the depleted Spurs away in the fourth quarter or overtime and eventually lost the game 110-107.
Houston shot just 33.3 percent from behind the arc on Tuesday, continuing a recurring theme in this series of living and dying with the long ball. The team has hit under 35 percent from three-point land in each of its three losses and over 40 percent in its two wins.
Over Houston’s last 17 home games in the postseason, the Rockets are 13-4 straight up and 10-7 against the spread, per the OddsShark NBA Database.
Betting Line / Total: Houston -7 / 214 Points
San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio’s defense stepped up in Leonard’s absence, holding Houston’s high-powered offense to just 16 points in the fourth quarter and six points in overtime after it had scored 85 points through the first three quarters.
Now the Spurs will have a chance to close out the series in Houston, where they are 4-1 SU and ATS over their last five games. Leonard is officially listed as questionable for Game 6, though he has indicated that he intends on playing.
Thursday night’s total is set at 214 points. The UNDER is 9-2 in Houston’s last 11 home games against the Spurs.
Considering the Rockets are facing elimination, playing at home, and up against a Spurs team that will have Leonard at less than 100 percent if he is able to play, there are plenty of signs pointing to a Houston win on Thursday.
But despite all of those factors, the key will be whether or not Houston can hit its shots. Another cold day from behind the three-point line could send San Antonio into the next round.
San Antonio Spurs at Houston Rockets
When: Thursday, May 11, 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
