Spurs vs. Rockets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, Jan. 20

The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are in a season-long battle for position atop the Western Conference, and they’ll play for the second time in the 2025-26 campaign on Tuesday night in Houston.

The Spurs got the better of Kevin Durant and company the first time these teams met, winning 121-110 at home. Now, they’re set as road underdogs on the second night of a back-to-back after a win against the Utah Jazz.

Houston is coming off a win on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans, but it has been teetering on the play-in tournament line in recent weeks. The Rockets are playing pretty well against teams .500 or better (13-8) this season, but they’re just .500 (14-14) against the Western Conference.

The Spurs may end up sitting some players on the second night of a back-to-back that also happens to be their third game in four nights. Still, San Antonio has been able to win short-handed all season, posting winning records without De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama.

Let’s take a look at the odds, some players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Tuesday’s marquee Western Conference matchup.

Spurs vs. Rockets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Spurs +4.5 (-115)
Rockets -4.5 (-105)

Moneyline

Spurs: +140
Rockets: -166

Total

219.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Spurs vs. Rockets How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, Jan. 20
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Toyota Center
How to Watch (TV): NBC/Peacock
Spurs record: 30-13
Rockets record: 25-15

Spurs vs. Rockets Injury Reports

Spurs Injury Report

Not submitted yet

Rockets Injury Report

Steven Adams – out
Isaiah Crawford – out
Tari Eason – questionable
Fred VanVleet – out
Tristen Newton – out

Spurs vs. Rockets Best NBA Prop Bets

Spurs Best NBA Prop Bet

Victor Wembanyama OVER 23.5 Points (-107)

In today’s best NBA props column for SI Betting, I broke down why I’m buying Wemby in this matchup:

Since returning to the starting lineup, Victor Wembanyama has cleared this prop in three of his five games, including back-to-back 30-point showings.

He had 39 points in a close win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, and the star big man followed that up with an efficient 33 points on Monday. Wemby has taken at least 15 shots in seven of the eight games he's played in since returning from a knee injury, giving him a great floor in this prop.

All we're asking is for the Spurs star to hit his season average on Tuesday, and I think he can against a Houston team that he scored 22 points on 16 shots against earlier in the season. There's no doubt that Wemby has been more aggressive since his calf injury, as he's kept his scoring in the mid-20s despite playing only around half the game every night.

This season, he has 24 or more points in 16 of his 29 appearances. I think he adds to that total on Jan. 20.

Spurs vs. Rockets Prediction and Pick

Earlier today, I shared in my NBA Best Bets column – Peter’s Points – why San Antonio is a solid bet as a road underdog:

The Spurs have a win over the Rockets under their belt this season, and they’ve been one of the best teams in the NBA against the spread as road underdogs, going 7-4 against the number in those matchups.

Meanwhile, Houston is just 7-9 against the spread when favored at home, and Kevin Durant and company haven’t exactly played their best basketball as of late. Over their last 10 games, the Rockets are just 5-5 with a net rating of +0.0 (16th in the NBA) while the Spurs are a top-10 team in net rating during that stretch.

These teams aren’t separated by a ton, but with Victor Wembanyama back in the starting lineup, San Antonio is even more dangerous on both ends of the floor. When Wemby plays this season, the Spurs are 20-9, and they’ve won three games in a row with him playing over 26 minutes in each of the last two.

These teams are No. 4 (Houston) and No. 5 (San Antonio) in net rating for the season, but I like getting 4.5 points with the Spurs – even on the second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio is an impressive 5-2 against the spread on the second night of a back-to-back this season.

Pick: Spurs +4.5 (-115 at DraftKings)

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.

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