Half-time report
The Rockets are on the road but don’t look any worse. After two quarters, neither team has the game in the bag, but the Rockets lead 60-57 over the Wizards.
The Rockets entered the competition having won five straight and are just two quarters back. Will they reach six, or will the Wizards step in and ruin it? We will know soon.
Who’s playing
Houston Rockets @Washington Wizards
Current records: Houston 32-35, Washington 11-57
How to watch
- When: Tuesday March 19, 2024 at 7 p.m. ET
- Or: Capital One Arena – Washington, District of Columbia
- TV: Monumental Sports Network
- Follow: CBS Sports app
- Online broadcast: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket cost: $9.00
What there is to know
The Rockets will play the full four quarters on Tuesday, but they should have things wrapped up well before then. They will hit the road to face the Washington Wizards at 7 p.m. ET at Capital One Arena. The Wizards enter this competition hampered by four straight losses, while the Rockets will bounce back with five straight wins.
Last Saturday, Houston beat the Cavaliers with points to spare, winning the game 117-103. The Rockets pushed the score to 98-73 late in the third, a deficit that the Cavaliers reduced but never really recovered from.
Several players had strong performances to lead the Rockets to victory, but perhaps none more than Jalen Green, who had a double-double with 26 points and 11 rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Wizards were expected to struggle on Sunday, and, well, they did. They suffered a painful 130-104 loss to Boston. The Wizards were in a tough spot after the first half, already up 81-53.
Jordan Poole had a good effort for the losing team scoring 31 points.
Houston has performed incredibly well recently as they have won seven of their last eight games, which significantly improved their record to 32-35 this season. As for Washington, they have struggled recently as they have lost 20 of their last 22 games, which has significantly dented their 11-57 record this season.
In this competition, the number of possessions will likely be a big factor: the Rockets haven’t given up the ball easily this season, averaging just 12.4 turnovers per game. However, it’s not like the Wizards struggled in this department, as they averaged just 13.5 turnovers per game. Given these competing forces, it will be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
The Rockets beat the Wizards in their previous meeting on Thursday by a score of 135-119. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rockets since the team won’t have home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change of location makes a difference.
Odds
Houston is big favorite with 9.5 points against Washington, according to the latest NBA Odds.
The line on this game has moved a lot since it opened, as it started with the Rockets as 5.5-point favorites.
The over/under is 227.5 points.
See NBA Pick for every game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get Picks Now.
History of the series
Houston has won 7 of its last 10 games against Washington.
- March 14, 2024 – Houston 135 vs. Washington 119
- April 9, 2023 – Houston 114 vs. Washington 109
- January 25, 2023 – Washington 108 vs. Houston 103
- March 21, 2022 – Houston 115 vs. Washington 97
- January 5, 2022 – Houston 114 vs. Washington 111
- February 15, 2021 – Washington 131 vs. Houston 119
- January 26, 2021 – Houston 107 vs. Washington 88
- October 30, 2019 – Houston 159 vs. Washington 158
- December 19, 2018 – Houston 136 vs. Washington 118
- November 26, 2018 – Washington 135 vs. Houston 131
