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NBA Play of the Day for November 1st, 2019

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Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets will welcome James Harden, Russell Westbrook, and the Houston Rockets to the Barclays Center. While we will undoubtedly see some exciting basketball, this contest could easily turn into a blowout. There was minimal overnight movement with the point spread holding firm at some sportsbooks. We are almost assured to see some offensive fireworks as three of the most explosive scoring point guards in the league will be on the floor in the same contest. Let’s dig in. 

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Details

  • Opening Lines: The line for this contest opened at -3.5 on Houston. The over/under total opened at 241 points. The point spread has seen some movement at some books and is available at both the opening line of -3.5 and -4. The over/under total has seen a slight drop to 240.5. 
  • Current Line: Houston -3.5
  • O/U: 240.5
  • Location: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York
  • Start Time: 7:00 PM EST, Friday, November 1st
  • Last Meeting: Brooklyn defeated Houston 145-142 – January 16, 2019

Overview 

The Houston Rockets were able to trade away the albatross of Chris Paul’s contract, but they ended up taking another one of the worst deals in the league back in the process. The Rockets made one of the biggest splashes of the offseason by acquiring point guard Russell Westbrook to play with his former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate James Harden. Two former MVPs promise to be a tough out on a nightly basis, and staggering the two players minutes-wise can help ensure minimal drop off when Harden takes a breather. The Rockets are a rock-solid 3-1 on the season and look to be enjoying their East coast swing following a 59 point outburst by superstar James Harden. Houston is going to have to tighten their defense prior to the playoffs, but they seem built for exciting regular season basketball. 

The Brooklyn Nets are 1-3 on the season thanks to two disappointing overtime losses. They will not be at full strength all season as Kevin Durant, one of their prized offseason additions, is expected to miss the entirety of the 2019-20 season. Kyrie Irving was their other big addition, and he has looked terrific for the team. He is averaging 35.3 points, and while his mood swings have already become part of the conversation, no one was expecting things to run smoothly while Durant was sidelined. The Nets remain a legitimate Eastern Conference contender and should go on a serious roll once the team builds the necessary chemistry. Brooklyn is one of the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, and not much has changed on that front despite their slow start. 

Trends 

  • The road team is 5-1 ATS in the last six contests between these two teams.
  • The underdog is 7-2 ATS in the last nine contests between these two teams. 
  • Houston is 2-7 ATS in the last nine contests between these two teams. 
  • Houston is 11-5 ATS in the last 16 contests between these two teams in Brooklyn.
  • Over is 6-1 in the last seven contests between these two teams. 
  • Over is 5-0 in the last five contests between these two teams. 
  • Houston is 0-4 ATS on the season. 
  • Houston is 0-1 ATS on the road this season. 
  • Brooklyn is 0-4 ATS on the season. 
  • Brooklyn is 0-3 ATS at home this season.
  • Houston is 5-0 ATS in their last five contests against the Atlantic division.
  • Houston is 0-5 in their last five contests. 
  • Houston is 0-4 in their last four contests played on one day of rest. 
  • Brooklyn is 6-1 ATS in their last seven contests against the Southwest division.
  • Brooklyn is 12-5 ATS in their last 17 contests against the Western Conference. 
  • Brooklyn is 0-6 ATS in their last six contests following a straight-up loss. 
  • Brooklyn is 0-7 ATS in their last seven contests following a loss ATS.
  • Brooklyn is 0-5 ATS in their last five home contests. 
  • Brooklyn is 0-8 ATS in their last eight contests. 
  • Under is 3-0-1 in Houston’s last four contests against the Atlantic division.
  • Over is 4-1 in Houston’s last five contests. 
  • Under is 6-2-1 in Houston’s last nine contests against the Eastern Conference. 
  • Under is 5-2 in Houston’s last seven road contests. 
  • Under is 5-2-1 in Houston’s last eight contest following a straight-up win. 
  • Over is 5-1 in Brooklyn’s last six contests against the Western Conference.  
  • Over is 4-1 in Brooklyn’s last five contests against teams with a winning record. 
  • Over is 20-8 in Brooklyn’s last 28 contests against the Southwest division. 

Prop Bets 

Kyrie Irving over 26.5 points (-115 at PointsBet)
Kyrie Irving over 26.5 points at -115 at PointsBet seems like an error line. Irving is averaging 35.3 points per game and is facing a Houston Rockets team that just allowed Bradley Beal to erupt for 46 points. This contest has the highest over/under total of the day at 240.5 points. Irving has managed to clear the posted total in three of his four contests on the year. Irving has absolute free reign in Brooklyn as the team’s only healthy franchise player, and will likely be looking to go mano a mano against James Harden and his lack of defensive effort. This should be an easy click, so be sure to lock this one in before the juice changes. 

Caris LeVert over 16.5 points (-124 at PointsBet)
Caris LeVert over 16.5 points seems like one of the best player props on the board for this contest. LeVert enters tonight’s contest averaging an impressive 18.5 points per game. He is the relative unknown in what will be a high powered backcourt battle between James Harden and Russell Westbrook and Kyrie Irving and himself. While LeVert has cleared this total in just two of his four contests this season, the pace and lack of defense of the Rockets almost ensures that LeVert will cover this over/under number. As mentioned above, this is the contest with the highest total of the day at a whopping 240.5 points. LeVert is more than just a flash in the pan, as he was one of the driving forces behind the Nets’ surprisingly impressive 2018-19 campaign. Last season he averaged 16.8 points prior to the All-Star Break, 18.9 points per game in October, and 17.7 points per contest in November. He was also better at home last season, where he averaged almost three extra points per contest. The juice on this one suggests it is being hit hard by the sharps. Lock this one in before the vig gets even higher. 

Bottom Line 

The Houston Rockets might prove to be too much to handle for a Brooklyn Nets squad still trying to find their way with all of their new additions. The point spread for this contest has seen some movement at some sportsbooks, but FanDuel still has this line at -3.5, and so does BetMGM. This may change soon, so be sure to lock this one in as soon as possible. The line for this contest could very well reach the five-point mark before this contest starts this evening. The Rockets are clearly the superior team in this contest, but they are receiving the benefit of a road line. Both of these teams have failed to cover a spread this season, so this will be a get right game as far as that trend category is concerned. The over was given heavy consideration for this contest, but the line appears to be set a little too sharp for comfort. The early-season spread for a road favorite is a different story. The smart money has already shown us which way the sharps are betting, and this time it aligns with public perception. Lock this one in before it rises. 

Pick: Houston Rockets -3.5 (-110)

Raju Byfield is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Raju, check out his archive, and follow him @FantasyContext.