Cavaliers vs. Rockets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, Jan. 22

The Cleveland Cavaliers will put their NBA-best 36-6 record to the test on Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets – the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Houston is coming off a rough loss at home against the Detroit Pistons, and on Wednesday, it will be a home underdog for just the fourth time this season.

Cleveland has thrived on the road in the 2024-25 campaign, going 15-4 straight up and 11-4 against the spread when set as a favorite. While the Cavs have lost a couple of games in recent weeks, they still rank No. 1 in the NBA in offensive rating, No. 9 in defensive rating, and No. 2 in net rating.

However, Cleveland will be without two key rotation players — Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro – on Wednesday night. Does that give Houston and its elite defense a chance to pull off the upset?

Here’s a full breakdown of the odds, including my favorite prop bets and predictions for the Cavs vs. Rockets clash.

Cavaliers vs. Rockets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Cavs -2.5 (-112)
Rockets +2.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Cavs: -142
Rockets: +120

Total

231.5 (Over -108/Under -112)

Cavaliers vs. Rockets How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, Jan. 22
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Toyota Center
How to Watch (TV): Space City Network, Bally Sports Ohio
Cavs record: 36-6
Rockets record: 28-14

Cavaliers vs. Rockets Injury Reports

Cavs Injury Report

Caris LeVert – questionable
Evan Mobley – out
Isaac Okoro – out
Luke Travers – out
JT Thor – out

Rockets Injury Report

N’Faly Dante – out
Jack McVeigh – out
Jabari Smith Jr. – out

Cavaliers vs. Rockets Best NBA Prop Bets

Cleveland Cavaliers Best NBA Prop Bet

Jarrett Allen OVER 10.5 Rebounds (-125)

Cavs big man Jarrett Allen is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game this season, but he should see a few more opportunities on the glass with Mobley out. While the Rockets are No. 1 in the NBA in rebounding percentage this season, I’m still buying Allen’s rebounds prop on Wednesday.

With Mobley out on Monday, Allen grabbed 11 boards in just 22 minutes in a blowout win over the Suns. Overall, Allen is averaging 16.9 points, 11.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 42 games without Mobley since the Cavs drafted the forward with the No. 3 overall pick back in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Houston Rockets Best NBA Prop Bet

Jalen Green OVER 21.5 Points (-125)

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green is currently having one of the best stretches of his career, scoring 22 or more points in nine of his last 10 games.

He failed to clear 21.5 points in his last matchup, but he still attempted 21 shots in that game – a sign that his usage will be there on Wednesday against Cleveland. Over this 10-game stretch, Green is averaging 28.7 points per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 47.2 percent from beyond the arc.

Cavaliers vs. Rockets Prediction and Pick

Houston enters this game with the No. 3 defensive rating in the NBA, and I think that could be the difference in this matchup.

Oddsmakers have pushed the total on Wednesday up into the 230s for this matchup, but the Cavs’ defense may be the group that takes a step back without Okoro (arguably their best wing defender) and Mobley (their best defender overall).

Cleveland’s defensive rating has already fallen off a cliff on the road this season, going from ninth in the league overall to just 19th away from Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Houston has the wing defenders (Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, Tari Eason) to make things tough on Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland in this matchup. The Cavs have been elite as road favorites, but the Rockets (2-1 against the spread as home underdogs) are an impressive 14-7 straight up at home this season.

I’m not sold on this game going over the total with Houston’s elite defense, and a low-scoring game should favor the Rockets. I’ll take the points on Wednesday with two of the NBA’s best teams facing off.

Pick: Rockets +2.5 (-108)

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.