Suns vs. Rockets Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Wednesday, March 12

The Houston Rockets are looking to pick up their fourth consecutive win when they host the Phoenix Suns and Kevin Durant on Wednesday night.

Phoenix is coming off a brutal two-point loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, and it lost a game on the Dallas Mavericks in the standings after Dallas upset the San Antonio Spurs on Monday.

Now, the Suns find themselves as underdogs in Houston on Wednesday night, still needing to close a 2.5-game gap for the No. 10 seed in the West.

Houston has been banged up as of late, with Amen Thompson going down to an ankle injury and Fred VanVleet continuing to sit out due to his own ankle injury. However, FVV has been upgraded on Houston’s latest injury report.

The Rockets have the No. 4 defensive rating in the NBA and are just a game back of the Los Angeles Lakers for the No. 3 seed in the West.

Here’s a breakdown of this game, including the latest odds, players to bet on in the prop market and my game prediction.

Suns vs. Rockets Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Suns +4.5 (-108)
Rockets -4.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Suns: +145
Rockets: -175

Total

229 (Over -110/Under -110)

Suns vs. Rockets How to Watch

Date: Wednesday, March 12
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Toyota Center
How to Watch (TV): Arizona’s Family Sports, Space City Network
Suns record: 30-35
Rockets record: 40-25

Suns vs. Rockets Injury Reports

Suns Injury Report

Jalen Bridges – out
Cody Martin – out
Monte Morris – doubtful

Rockets Injury Report

Fred VanVleet – probable
Amen Thompson – out
N’Faly Dante – out
Reed Sheppard – out
Jack McVeigh – out
David Roddy – out

Suns vs. Rockets Best NBA Prop Bets

Phoenix Suns Best NBA Prop Bet

Kevin Durant OVER 25.5 Points (-125)

Even against a tough Houston defense, I love Kevin Durant’s points prop on Wednesday night.

KD is averaging 26.9 points per game this season, shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range. He’s also cleared 25.5 points in six of his last eight games while taking 19.0 shots per game.

On top of that, Durant dropped a smooth 37 points back in February against this Houston team. With the Suns fighting for a play-in tournament spot, KD is a great bet at this number.

Houston Rockets Best NBA Prop Bet

Fred VanVleet UNDER 2.5 3-Pointers Made (-140)

I’m fading Fred VanVleet on Wednesday, even though it appears that he’s ready to return to the lineup for the Rockets.

FVV is shooting just 34.0 percent from beyond the arc this season, and he struggled in his first game back – before going on the shelf again – against the Sacramento Kings on March 1. The veteran guard made just 1-of-7 shots from deep in that game, marking the fifth straight game he finished with two or fewer made 3s.

There’s a chance the Rockets limit his minutes, and I’m not sold on trusting FVV after he looked so rusty earlier this month. He’s been sidelined for double-digit games due to an ankle strain.

Suns vs. Rockets Prediction and Pick

The Suns can’t seem to string enough wins together to get into the play-in tournament picture in the Western Conference, and I think they’re going to have a hard time knocking off a defensive-minded Houston team on Wednesday.

The Rockets are 14-13 against the spread when favored at home this season (Phoenix is 7-9 against the spread as a road underdog), and they’ve rebounded from a slow start after the All-Star break to win three games in a row.

Houston significantly outranks the Suns in net rating over these teams’ last 10 games (+3.2 to -2.7), and Phoenix is nearly impossible to trust to cover the number because of its horrible defense which is 27th in defensive rating for the season and 28th over its last 10 games.

While the Rockets have been without Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet, Ime Udoka’s squad has shown all season long that it can win games on the defensive end, as evidenced by Monday’s win over Orlando when it gave up just 84 points.

Plus, FVV is expected to return on Wednesday, as he’s been upgraded to probable.

I’ll lay the points with the Rockets here, as the Suns are one of the worst teams against the spread in the NBA for the season.

Pick: Rockets -4.5 (-112 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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