Halftime Report
Only two more quarters stand between the Rockets and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. Sitting on a score of 57-49, they have looked like the better team, but there’s still two more quarters to play.
If the Rockets keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 7-4 in no time. On the other hand, the Wizards will have to make due with a 2-7 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Washington Wizards @ Houston Rockets
Current Records: Washington 2-6, Houston 6-4
How To Watch
- When: Monday, November 11, 2024 at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Toyota Center — Houston, Texas
- TV: Monumental Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $4.32
What to Know
The Rockets will be playing the full four quarters on Monday, but they’re expected to have things wrapped up well before that. They and the Washington Wizards will face off at 8:00 p.m. ET at Toyota Center without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. The Rockets’ defense has only allowed 107.9 points per game this season, so the Wizards’ offense will have their work cut out for them.
The Rockets will head into Sunday’s matchup on the come-up: they were handed a 19-point loss in their previous outing, but they didn’t let that bad energy affect their game against the Pistons on Sunday. The Rockets narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Pistons 101-99. The 101-point effort marked Houston’s lowest-scoring match of the season, but in the end it didn’t matter.
Among those leading the charge was Alperen Sengun, who dropped a double-double on 27 points and ten rebounds. He had some trouble finding his footing against the Thunder on Friday, so this was a step in the right direction.
The Rockets smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds (they’re ranked first in offensive rebounds per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, the Wizards’ recent rough patch got a bit rougher on Sunday after their fourth straight defeat. Their bruising 121-94 loss to the Magic might stick with them for a while. Washington was surely aware of their disadvantage in the point spread, but the foreknowledge did nothing to prevent the result.
The losing side was boosted by Bilal Coulibaly, who went 9 for 11 en route to 20 points plus six assists and six rebounds. What’s more, he also posted a 81.8% field goal percentage, which is the highest he’s posted since back in February.
Houston is on a roll lately: they’ve won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season. As for Washington, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.
Monday’s matchup is shaping up to be a scrappy match: The Rockets have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 47.9 rebounds per game (they’re ranked second in rebounds per game overall). It’s a different story for the Wizards, though, as they’ve been averaging only 41.9. Given the Rockets’ sizable advantage in that area, the Wizards will need to find a way to close that gap.
The Rockets took their win against the Wizards in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 137-114. Will the Rockets repeat their success, or do the Wizards have a better game plan this time around? We’ll find out soon enough.
Odds
Houston is a big 13.5-point favorite against Washington, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 13.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is 226.5 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Houston has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Washington.
- Mar 19, 2024 – Houston 137 vs. Washington 114
- Mar 14, 2024 – Houston 135 vs. Washington 119
- Apr 09, 2023 – Houston 114 vs. Washington 109
- Jan 25, 2023 – Washington 108 vs. Houston 103
- Mar 21, 2022 – Houston 115 vs. Washington 97
- Jan 05, 2022 – Houston 114 vs. Washington 111
- Feb 15, 2021 – Washington 131 vs. Houston 119
- Jan 26, 2021 – Houston 107 vs. Washington 88
- Oct 30, 2019 – Houston 159 vs. Washington 158
- Dec 19, 2018 – Houston 136 vs. Washington 118
