SPORTS BETTING

• Houston Rockets vs. Memphis Grizzlies 8:00 ET

  Posted on Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT by North Shore Sports, INC

  
  

  Two Western Conference teams that are just on the outside of the playoff picture engage in a critical NBA betting affair on Friday night at the FedEx Forum, where the Houston Rockets (26-22, 23-25 ATS) will crack skulls with the Memphis Grizzlies (26-22, 27-20-1 ATS). Both teams are tied for the 9th spot in the conference right now, a game and a half behind both Portland and Oklahoma City for the final ticket to the playoffs.
   
  Earlier this season, the Rockets crippled Memphis 104-79 at the Toyota Center, but the Grizz will surely be looking for some payback on their home court.
   
  You don't typically think about an amazing offense when you think of the Rockets, particularly without C Yao Ming or G Tracy McGrady in the fold. Alas, the team has scored at least 100 points in three straight and seven out of ten overall, which includes the 119-97 thumping they dished out to Golden State at home on Tuesday night. Even though Warriors G Monta Ellis went for 34 points, Houston had no problems covering the basketball wagering lines. It was a great day for both G Aaron Brooks and F Carl Landry, each of which scored 24 points in the 'W'. Four other Rockets also chipped in double digits in scoring, while C Chuck Hayes cleaned up the glass with 13 boards. Houston held a whopping 57-35 advantage in the rebounding department and posted a huge 22-point victory in spite of the fact that it lost the turnover battle 16-6.
   
  The Grizzlies are coming off of a 105-89 loss to the Cavs, but had you told Memphis bettors that they were going to get a split against Cleveland and the Lakers, they'd probably take it. All in all, Tuesday night's defeat at the hands of the Cavaliers was a very disappointing offensive effort. G OJ Mayo only shot 4/15 from the floor, while F Zach Randolph was an even worse converting just 3 of 14 attempts. The team only shot 38.0% from the field and a pitiful 14.3% from beyond the arc. No one scored more than 15 points (F Rudy Gay). For a team that is averaging 103.1 points per game on the season, the fact that Memphis has only reached the critical 100-point barrier once since January 20th has to be disappointing.
   
  If you're just looking at sheer form home and away, it's hard to ignore the Grizzles in this one. Memphis is a stellar 15-8-1 ATS at home this year and 20-8-1 ATS there dating back to last season, while Houston has failed to cover seven of its previous eight roadies.
   
  Memphis is 13-4-1 ATS in its L/18 games against teams with a losing road record, while the Rockets are 1-6 ATS in their L/7 games against teams with a home winning percentage of at least .600. Houston's big win over the Grizz marked its first point spread victory in this series since February 2008 (0-4 ATS).
   
  The NBA betting line tonight features Memphis as five-point favorites. The basketball wagering 'total' has been set at 204. You can find both of these lines right now at Bookmaker.com!