Houston Rockets vs Charlotte Hornets Prediction, Preview and Odds - 02/19/2026

Game Time: 7:00 pm ET, Thursday, February 19, 2026

Venue:  Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

Where to Watch:  SCHN, FDSSE-CHA

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Rockets -4.5, Hornets +4.5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Rockets -4.5, Hornets +4.5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Rockets -4.5, Hornets +4.5; Over/Under:  216.5 points

Houston Rockets:  33-20 (2nd place, Southwest Division)

Charlotte Hornets:  26-29 (3rd place, Southeast Division)

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Houston Rockets:  6-4 last 10

Charlotte Hornets:  9-1 last 10

The Rockets are entering this game with a 33-20 record overall this season and they are 15-13 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a loss against the Los Angeles Clippers. Kevin Durant led the team in points in that game with 21 while Reed Sheppard was next on the team with 17 points. Kevin Durant and Alperen Şengün each led the team in assists in that game with 6 while Jabari Smith Jr. led the team in rebounds with 12. They were 46.3% from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 77.8% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 114.6 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 109.6 PPG against them. The Rockets have an ATS record of 23-30 this season and their O/U record is 22-30-1.

The Hornets are entering this game with a 26-29 record overall this season and they are 12-14 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They are entering this game off a win against the Atlanta Hawks. Brandon Miller led the team in points in that game with 31 while LaMelo Ball was next on the team with 24 points. LaMelo Ball led the team in assists in that game with 6 while PJ Hall led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 37.5% from the field, 37.3% from 3-point range, and 86.2% from the free throw line with their shots in that game. Their offense is averaging 115.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 113.8 PPG against them. The Hornets have an ATS record of 32-23 this season and their O/U record is 21-34.

The current betting odds have the Rockets listed as a 4.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rockets have looked really good in their games this season with their 33-20 record overall which has them in the top half of the West. They have been a good road team too with their 15-13 road record this year. Meanwhile, the Hornets haven't looked great in their games this season with their 26-29 record overall which has them in the bottom half of the East. They haven't looked great on their home court either with their 12-14 home record this season. The Hornets have an exciting young team this year with some of their younger players starting to make some noise and they have looked great lately. They went into the All-Star Break off a win over the Hawks and they have been rolling in their games lately as they are 9-1 in their last 10 games. They have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA lately and they are fighting to get into the play-in tournament for the playoffs, but they still don't have the talent that the Rockets have as one of the best teams in the West. The Hornets were also red hot going into the break, but that was a week ago and the All-Star Break has definitely killed some of their momentum. The Rockets went into the break off a loss to the Clippers, but they haven't looked bad lately as they are 6-4 in their last 10 games and they will be looking to bounce back and get back on a roll coming out of the break. The Rockets haven't been at their best in road games this season, but this is a great situation for them to bounce back with the week off as they are one of the best teams in the NBA and will show why in this game. The best way to place a bet here is on the Rockets to cover the spread in this game. 

Rockets Hornets Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Thursday, February 19, 2026 (7:00 pm ET start time) is Rockets 111 Hornets 105.

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Houston Rockets: 20-11 ATS as a road favorite of 6 points or less. 15-4 ATS off an upset loss as a home favorite. 21-11 ATS off a home loss. 20-10 UNDER revenging a straight up loss vs opponent as a favorite. 

Charlotte Hornets: 15-23 ATS when the total is 210 to 219.5. 4-10 ATS off a win against a division rival. 13-7 UNDER at home when the line is +3 to -3. 23-11 UNDER off a home win. 24-14 UNDER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 70%).

Houston Rockets:  D. Finney-Smith (PF) Day To Day - Rest. S. Adams (C) Out For Season - Ankle. F. VanVleet (PG) Out For Season - ACL.

Charlotte Hornets:  L. McNeeley (SF) Day To Day - Ankle. C. White (SG) Out - Calf.

"Take care of the ball. It's a possession game. We always talk about offensive rebounds and mob ball but you take care of the ball as well." - Fred VanVleet on what the Rockets need to improve on. 

"We’re really excited to have X and his family joining the Hornets family. Number one, as a human being, he’s a phenomenal man and father. He showed me a ton as a person when I was in Boston, which definitely stood out to me. Then on top of that, just his overall professionalism." - Charles Lee on the addition of Xavier Tillman.

PG Amen Thompson

SG Tari Eason

SF Kevin Durant

PF Jabari Smith Jr.

C Alperen Sengun

PG LaMelo Ball

SG Kon Knueppel

SF Brandon Miller

PF Grant Williams

C Ryan Kalkbrenner

PPG: Kevin Durant (25.8)

APG: Alperen Sengun (6.3)

Reb/G: Alperen Sengun (9.4)

PPG: Brandon Miller (20.6)

APG: LaMelo Ball (7.4)

Reb/G: Moussa Diabate (8.6)

Coaches:

Houston Rockets: Ime Udoka (3rd season)

Charlotte Hornets: Charles Lee (2nd season)