Houston at Orlando

A young Houston squad opens the new campaign on the road. Last year, the Rockets were the second-worst team in the Western Conference while losing 33 of 41 road contests. They added Dillon Brooks to upgrade the offense but the defense still looks poor, one that was 28th in points given up (118.6 per game), 21st in field goal shooting allowed (48.2%), and 27th at defending beyond the arc (37.4%). The Rockets are on a 13-25 spread run on the road, including 11-23 ATS as a road dog. Orlando made a 12-win improvement from the previous year that was the best jump in the Eastern Conference in 2022-23. They played best at home going 20-21 and were sixth in the NBA at defending the 3-pointer. They open the new season at home and are 19-9 ATS in non-conference action. Play Orlando.