This is an 8* WEST-COAST EXPRESS on the Houston Rockets.

A couple of the best in the West face off on Monday night and as you can tell by the line, the oddsmakers pretty much think this is a pick-em game. And why not? The Blazers are the hottest team in the league right now, but the Rockets start has been equally as impressive and they clearly have the home court advantage working for them. So where's the value? In my opinion, home floor advantage is a factor which can't be overlooked, I look for Houston to take care of business in its own building. We also can't overlook the massive revenge factor, as it was Damian Lillard's buzzer-beating 3-pointer in Game 6 in last season's Western Conference playoffs which sent the Rockets packing for the summer. Portland has been fantastic of late, it's coming off a 114-88 win over New Orleans on Saturday, which was on the heels of beating the Spurs 129-119 in a triple OT thriller the night before. Suffice it to say, I think this sets up as a natural letdown spot for Portland. Houston on the other hand comes in razor focused, it's already lost back to back games for the second time this season. There are a ton of situational and motivational factors working in favor of the Rockets today, but also note that the Blazers are just 6-7 ATS this year after scoring 105 points or more, while Houston is 9-7 ATS this season versus good offensive teams which average 99 plus points per contest. This number should be a little larger in my opinion, play on the ROCKETS.

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