NBA Betting Preview (Feb. 9): Rockets vs. Raptors Odds

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The NBA trade deadline has passed and the Toronto Raptors will be back in action on Friday night when they host the Houston Rockets at Scotiabank Arena.

With the team well out of playoff contention, the Raptors were busy on Thursday reshaping their roster with a pair of deals (more on that below) and that has left several question marks for bettors to consider ahead of Friday’s game.

Toronto is finally back home after going just 1-5 (3-3 against the spread) on its six-game road trip. Beginning Friday, the Raptors will play their next five games at the friendly confines of Scotiabank Arena.

The Rockets, who have dropped back-to-back games, will be playing their third contest of a four-game road trip on Friday. They’ll be heading to Atlanta immediately after this clash with the Raptors for the second half of a back-to-back with the Hawks.

Let’s dive into the odds via bet365 for this NBA matchup:

Rockets vs. Raptors odds

Rockets Moneyline Odds	+115
Raptors Moneyline Odds	-135
Over/Under	233.5 points (over -110, under -110)
Spread	Raptors -2.5 (-110)
Time/Date	Feb. 9, 7:30 p.m. ET
TV	Broadcast: SNO, SN1 Stream: NBA League Pass (How to watch the NBA in Canada?)

All odds courtesy of

About the Rockets (23-27 SU, 27-22-1 ATS, 24-26 o/u)

With a 23-27 record and sitting 12th in the Western Conference, the Rockets elected to stand pat at the trade deadline. It might have been a different story had the team not dropped nine of its last 13 games leading up to the deadline, but a play-in spot is still within reach for this team down the stretch. Houston trails the Utah Jazz by 1 1/2 games for the 10th seed in the West and it’ll also have to leapfrog the Golden State Warriors in the standings to edge into the play-in.

The Rockets pummeled the Raptors 135-106 on their home floor exactly a week ago and easily covered the spread as four-point favourites. Six different players scored in double digits, with Alperen Sengun leading the way with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists. Fred VanVleet played his first game against his former team but had a quiet stat line with just 10 points and six assists. He’ll miss the rematch on Friday due to a groin injury, spoiling his return to Toronto for the first time since joining the Rockets via free agency last summer.

About the Raptors (18-33 SU, 24-27 ATS, 28-23 o/u)

The Raptors had been busy leading up to the trade deadline, already shipping out Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers and O.G. Anunoby to the New York Knicks, and they made two more deals on Thursday.

Guard Ochai Agbaji and Canadian centre Kelly Olynyk were sent to Toronto from the Utah Jazz for guard Kira Lewis Jr., forward Otto Porter Jr., and a 2024 first-round pick. Point guard Dennis Schroder and forward Thaddeus Young were then traded by the Raptors to the Brooklyn Nets for guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who was then waived by Toronto. The moves will give the Raptors greater flexibility this summer. Olynyk and Agbaji are both questionable to play on Friday. Their availability will depend on when they arrive in Toronto and get medical clearance.

Perhaps the bigger news after the trade deadline is that Bruce Brown, Chris Boucher, and Gary Trent Jr. are all still with the team. Brown can become a free agent this summer if the team elects to decline his $23 million team option, and Trent Jr. will be an unrestricted free agent. Boucher is under contract for next season at a salary of $10.8 million.

The roster moves have left the Raptors particularly thin at the point guard position heading into action Friday, with Immanuel Quickley the only true point guard on the roster. There should be some roster moves ahead of the game, though, as Toronto has two vacant spots on its roster after Thursday’s deals. Scottie Barnes, who occasionally plays the point, could see more time at the position on Friday.

Injury concerns

As previously mentioned, VanVleet won’t play due to a groin injury. Tari Eason is also out with a leg injury.

Jontay Porter is out for the Raptors with a back issue.

Betting trends

• The Rockets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven games.
• The over is 5-1 in Toronto’s last six games.
• Houston is 5-1 ATS in its past six meetings with Toronto.
• The over is 5-0 in the past five meetings between the teams.

Player prop trends

• RJ Barrett is hot in a few different stat categories right now. He’s exceeded his points line in four straight games and six of his last eight, averaging 23 points per game during that span. He’s -115 to score over 21.5 points. He’s also on quite the run in the rebounds + assists category, exceeding his posted total in eight straight games. He’s -130 to record over 9.5.
• Amen Thompson has failed to hit a three-pointer in five straight games and in eight of his last 10. He’s shooting an awful 16.2% from long range this season and has nailed a three-ball in just 19% of his games. He’s -180 to record under 0.5 threes.
• Dillon Brooks is a force in the steals + blocks category, grabbing at least one in 15 of his last 20 games (75% hit rate) and in 61% of his games this season. He’s a steep -240 to record over 0.5 on Friday, but this could be a useful leg of a parlay.

Wagers to consider

• Sengun double-double: -150. He dominated the Raptors inside last time out and has recorded a double-double in six straight games.
• Barnes is averaging just 5.5 assists in four games this month, but he could play more minutes at the point guard position on Friday. It might be worth taking a look at his line of over 6.5 assists (+115) as he should have the opportunity to create more for his teammates than usual.
• Barrett over 9.5 rebounds + assists: -130. Barrett will continue to log heavy minutes down the stretch for the Raptors and we can’t ignore the hot streak he’s on in this category.