Houston Rockets Disprespected in Sportsbook Rankings
The Houston Rockets are tied for the second-longest win streak in the NBA, with six. Only equaled by the Minnesota Timberwolves and bested by the Philadelphia 76ers, the Rockets are on track to make some playoff noise and emerge as a contender in following years after rebuilding since 2021.
Piecing together six wins in a row has largely been thanks to the new culture brought in by Ime Udoka, and the stellar play of Alperen Şengün, who has been a do-all player on the offensive end. Positive performances from Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks, and the emergence of Jabari Smith Jr. as a legitimate starter have also helped.
Of course, the Rockets don’t have a complete body of work. Only nine games into the NBA season, Houston sits fourth in the Western Conference, but there is a lot of basketball yet to be played.
That being said, it might be time to give the Rockets their flowers.
SI Sportsbook provides some of the best NBA Future selections out there, and they are showing the Rockets the ultimate disrespect: Houston has the single worst odds to win the NBA Finals, at +30,000. This comes on the heels of the Rockets soaring in the latest power rankings.
Rockets forward Jeff Green (32) walks off the court after the Rockets defeated the Denver Nuggets at Toyota Center.
Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Now, the Rockets will not win the NBA title this season. In reality, there are only a handful of elite contenders, and the Rockets do not make the cut. However, there is no reason for Houston to be behind the likes of the San Antonio Spurs (+20,000), the Washington Wizards (+10,000) or the New Orleans Pelicans (+5,000).
If we shrink the sample size, the disrespect continues. NBA Divisions don’t matter that much, but the Rockets have the second-worst odds to win the Southwest Division, at +1,800. Only the Spurs (+4,000) have worse odds. This begs an interesting question: how can Houston be above San Antonio in Division predictions, but not Finals odds?
The Rockets have the second-best record in the division, behind only the Dallas Mavericks, but the oddsmakers have them behind the Pelicans (4-6) and Grizzlies (2-8) as well.
The Pelicans have been mostly healthy this season. Zion Williamson has only missed two games. Granted, the Grizzlies have been without Ja Morant, but even when he returns, will the Grizzlies continue to run the Division? It seems like only two teams in Texas have a shot at winning the thing, and our sportsbook isn’t giving Houston the credit it deserves.
