NBA: Houston Rockets vs Phoenix Suns Pick and Predictions 10/30/2022

Game: 9:10 PM ET, Sunday, October 30th

Venue:  Footprint Center, Phoenix, Arizona

Where to Watch: NBA League Pass

Rockets: 1-5, 13th place Western Conference

Suns: 4-1, 2nd place Western Conference

DraftKings:  Point Spread: Suns -12.5; O/U 228.5

PointsBet: Point Spread: Suns -12.5; O/U 227.5

Fanduel: Point Spread: Suns -13; O/U 227.5

Rockets: PG Kevin Porter JR, SG Jalen Green, SF Eric Gordon, PF Jabari Smith JR, C Alperen Sengun

Suns: PG Chris Paul, SG Devin Booker, SF Mikal Bridges, PF Cameron Johnson, C Deandre Ayton

A Western Conference battle between teams with very obvious different reasons for playing this season.  The Phoenix Suns were contenders last season… and for a while there thought they would make an NBA Finals.  It didn;’t work out because of the Golden State Warriors… but still they were amazing.  This season’s mission is to do it again despite having discovered their NBA owner was a scumbag who needs to go (most people already knew it)... so with the team up for sale the players and coaches have free reign to go for glory without any real interference of a douche and his ideas.  They need to do it soon because All-NBA point guard and many many times all-star Chris Paull is getting very very old.  The window will not be open forever.  The Houston Rockets have a different idea for the season.  Start young guys, develop them with minutes… and please please please do not win any games!  That is the real mission.  Houston want the #1 pick in the coming NBA draft more than I want my stock portfolio to magically triple!  That is a lot!  They see 7’4 French teenager Victor Wembanyama as the quickest way to get back to the Yao Ming era… Only this time they will want to do it right. Victor is being billed as more transformative than Yao was because Victor can do it all… He can do all the paint stuff Yao could do with outlandish size… but he can also dribble, pass and shoot when not near the basket.  Victor has been described as half Kevin Durant and half Kevin Garnett… if he is 70% of that he will be an instant Hall of Famer… so Houston doesn’t want to mess up their chances with anything as dumb as a few wins before Christmas.  Houstron is extra benefitted in this quest by Utah and Oklahoma City messing up and winning a few of these opening games!  It all counts at the end of the season the same you guys!  

The Houston Rockets are 1-5 on the season.  Only the Kings and the Lakers are below them… but the Kings and the Lakers have better players and are expected to jump the Rockets soon.  Houston screwed up and beat the Utah Jazz a couple of games ago… but they immediately righted the ship by losing to the same Utah Jazz the next night!  Phew.  The kids almost blew it.  The Rockets start a bunch of very very very young guys who were lottery picks and one old guy in SG Eric Gordon who is playing out of position at SF.  Expect Eric Gordon to move in a trade by the deadline.  Houston wants PF Jabari Smith JR, PG Kevin Porter JR, and SG Jalen Green to get real NBA development, but that only comes with starter minutes. It also means that 3/5ths of the Rockets starting lineup are not old enough to buy a beer…. That is a recipe for constant losing.  The bench in Houston has a mix of nothingness and some other young guys who they want to develop.  If this team does land the #1 pick, you can bet they will immediately hit the Free agency market to replace 90% of the bench for Victor to have a wide open runway to success!

The Phoenix Suns are winners.  Plain and simple .  They spent years in the position Houston is now.  The got high draft picks and added teenagers and played those teenagers until they were ready to be stars.  SG Devin Booker is off to another great start with 29.2 points per game.  PG Chris Paul is still hitting double digit assist numbers at his advanced age with 10 per game, C Deandre Ayton did get paid after a little back and forth of hurt feelings.  AND SF Mikal Bridges may be the best glue guy in the league.. Playing shut down defense and adding numbers in every column of the stat sheet.  They are back.  The problem they face is how to sustain it… Last season the charged ahead of the West in the win column but weren;t able to stop the Warriors in the Playoffs… This season they have made no major changes except promoting Cameron Johnson to starter.  Johnson takes over for the departed Jae Crowder… and while Cameron Johnson is a better shooter… He is nowhere near as physically imposing as Jae… We will see all season long if the change was good or bad.  Right now they look the same.

Al McMordie is 14-6 in NBA picks the last 7 days for a profit of $6,300!! You should be following a handicapper all season long!  Get Al McMordie’s  picks right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers. BigAl.com can help you with all your bets from NCAAF, NFL, MLB, NHL… get positive value from all your bets! Remember: winning a bet is way more fun than making a bet!

 

HOU: 1-5, 4-2 ATS, 3-3 O/U, 0-4 in road games.

PHO: 4-1, 3-2 ATS, 2-3 O/U, 3-0 in home games.

The Houston Rockets are 23rd in scoring with 110 points per game, 5th in rebounds with 46.8 per game, 29th in AST/TO ratio with 1.3, and 17th in blocked shots with 5.0.  It’s also no secret to the league that the teenagers have a terrible defense.

The Phoenix Suns are 10th in scoring with 117.6 points per game, 13th in rebounds with 45 per game, 2nd in AST/TO ratio with 2.2, and 25th in blocks with 4.0 per game.The Suns have a really good defense.

Our prediction for Sunday, October 30th is…. Suns 125 - Rockets 108

A blow-out is on the menu.  The Suns are better at offense and defense, and efficiency.  PG Chris Paul is completely aware that these kids will throw athleticism and not much else at him. The result will be a track meet that the kids from Houston are wholly unprepared for.  Bet on the Suns to cover whatever the spread is.

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NBA Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com. Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to

join for a week or a month. And if you enjoyed this Rockets/Suns preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.  Get help with all your college football picks, National Football league, NCAA brackets, or any prop bets on your season schedule. 

 

Phoenix is 52-42 ATS versus Houston since 1996.

3 of 3 games in Phoenix in this matchup have gone OVER the last 3 seasons.

Houston is 2-1 ATS versus Phoenix in Phoenix the last 3 seasons.

Rockets: PF Jabari Smith Jr.  He is trying to find his footing and learning important lessons in every game.  His fire for playing is admirable.. His skill level needs some work.

Suns: SF Mikal Bridges.  Mikal should have a field day if he finds the undersized Eric Gordon trying to guard him. Eric is undersized for a SG and his skill is shooting.  Mikal is THE guy who can close out on most anyone in the process of shooting.  Big night is coming.

Rockets: Stephen “babysitter” Silas  - seriously hopefully the Rockets keep Silas when they finally give him an actual roster to prove his ability with.

Suns: Monty “all class, all the time” Williams