Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Jalen Green Light Up the Scoreboard?

I wanted to go with the three-pronged approach tonight but I'm not sure we'll be able to. I have nothing for the 10:00 pm ET slate so it looks like it will be an all-out attack on the earlier games. Fine by us. We know what to do. The bright side is we'll be able to get to bed early which will help us get plenty of rest. We'll need it for gambling tomorrow. One game that stuck out like a sore thumb tonight is the Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks. I don't know if the enemy was sleeping behind the wheel or what but they disrespected the hell out one of the best young scorers in the NBA. I want to believe it was a mistake but a line like the one you're about to read about has to be on purpose. It literally makes no sense. Let's get into my prediction, pick, and odds for Hawks vs. Rockets.

Hawks vs. Rockets Start Time and Where to Watch

Date: October 19

Time: 7:30 pm ET

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

Hawks vs. Rockets Odds

Spread: Rockets +10 (-105), Hawks -10 (-107)

Total: Over 234.5 (-110), Under 234.5 (-105)

Moneyline: Rockets (+385), Hawks (-450)

Click Here for Hawks vs. Rockets Odds

Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets Pick

Jalen Green 25+ Points (+134) (Bet $100 to collect $134)

*Odds available at FanDuel at time of publishing*

We're at FanDuel here because of my love for ladders. Honestly, they are the only way to bet on the NBA. I'll always say, if my guy can't get a couple of ticks up from his standard line, then the bet sucked anyway. The only difference is I won't be laying -115 and -120 every night. That feels good. If you can't play at FanDuel, then you have no choice but to go with the standard line. Right now you can get Green at 22.5 (-115) over at DraftKings. That's not horrible.

Atlanta Hawks vs. Houston Rockets Prediction

This kid lit up the NBA at the end of last season. People like to say the young guys are a cross between a couple of legends but honestly, I don't know what Green is. He's 6'4", 178 pounds but he plays bigger. I'd say at least 6'6". It took him a little while to get going last season, but that was to be expected. He was like 19 years old. What the hell were you doing when you were 19? Damn sure not playing in the NBA. I give the kid credit.

The Rockets noticed that Green was "special-special" at the end of last season. It was obvious. They took the training wheels off late in the season and when they did, Green went off. In his last eight games, he only went under 25 points once. In six of those games, the kid left the building with a 30-burger. He took 23+ shots in five of those eight contests too so you know he's got a little ball hog in him. It's carried over to the preseason too because, in every game where he's played at least 25 minutes, he's dropped at least 25 points. The kid dominates the ball.

Tonight the Rockets will be on the road taking on the Atlanta Hawks which isn't great but whatever. He's matchup-proof anyway. But if you want a little faith, how about the fact that he dropped 41 on these guys in the final game of last season? Trae Young can't handle him. At all. The only thing to worry about is a blowout but I'm not sure that matters. Even if he only plays 30 minutes or so while sitting the entire fourth, I still think that's enough for him to get to 25+. This kid is deadly.

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