After leading early on Monday night against the New York Knicks, the Houston Rockets ended up falling short on the road (although they still covered the spread) to fall further behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 2 seed in the West.

Houston didn’t have Alperen Sengun and Fred VanVleet on Monday, and it’ll be interesting to see if either player is ready to go for Tuesday’s contest with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets, who are in full rebuild mode, could be an active team ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Brooklyn has already moved Dennis Schroder, Shake Milton and Dorian Finney-Smith this season. 

While the Nets have won their last two games, they are just 3-7 in their last 10, sitting in the No. 13 spot in the Eastern Conference. Oddsmakers aren’t expecting them to pull off an upset on Tuesday, setting them as nine-point underdogs at home.

Here’s a breakdown of the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Tuesday’s interconference battle. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Rockets Injury Report

Nets Injury Report

Houston Rockets Best NBA Prop Bet

Amen Thompson is quickly becoming one of the best assets in the NBA, and the former lottery pick has at least 17 points in nine of his last 14 games, averaging 18.4 points per game over that stretch. 

Thompson’s athleticism has been on full display, and while he’s not a great jump shooter, he’s still knocking down 52.7 percent of his field goal attempts over this 14-game stretch.

If Sengun and/or VanVleet sits on Tuesday, Thompson should take on an expanded offensive role against one of the worst defenses in the NBA. 

Brooklyn Nets Best NBA Prop Bet

Over his last seven games, D’Angelo Russell has cleared 15.5 points in five of those matchups, and he should be the No. 1 option on offense on Tuesday with Cameron Johnson and Cam Thomas out. 

Russell is averaging 16.6 points on 12.0 shots per game over this seven-game stretch despite shooting just 40.5 percent from the field. He’s the only Net I’d really trust here since we know he’ll play a role as a primary ball-handler tonight. 

It’ll be key to watch the Rockets’ injury report in this game, but I think they have a massive advantage with Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, Ben Simmons, Noah Clowney and others out for this matchup. 

Brooklyn is just 6-11 against the spread as a home underdog this season, and it ranks 28th in the NBA in net rating and offensive rating over its last 10 games. Without Johnson, the Nets are down one of the few consistent scorers they’ve had as of late – a bad sign against one of the league’s best defenses. 

On top of that, Houston is 9-5 against the spread as a road favorite, posting an average scoring margin of over 11 points per game in those matchups. 

If Sengun (who was questionable last night before getting ruled out) returns to the lineup, it’s going to be hard to fade the Rockets here. 

Brooklyn is just 5-16 straight up at home this season – a far worse mark than it has on the road. 

Pick: Rockets -9 (-110)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.