The Charlotte Bobcats continue their current five-game road trip with a stop at the Toyota Center this Friday night to face the Houston Rockets. This inter-conference clash is slated to tip-off at 8 p.m. (ET) and it will be available on NBA League Pass.

As expected, the Bobcats are bringing up the rear in the Eastern Conference, but things have gotten especially bad with just two victories in their last 12 games, including a 0-2 start on this current road trip. They are 11-34 SU overall and somewhat better against the spread at 17-27-1. The total has stayed “under” in seven of their last 10 games.

Houston is clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the West with a 4-2 SU (3-3 ATS) record in its last six games. Overall, the Rockets are 25-23 SU and 15-8 SU at home. They have covered in three of their last four games to improve to 24-23-1 ATS, and the total has stayed under in five of their last seven games.

Bobcats at Rockets Betting Storylines

Charlotte is ranked near the bottom of the league in just about every major category. It is averaging 94.5 points a game while shooting 42.4 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range. The Bobcats are averaging just 40.9 rebounds and giving up 102.9 points a game, which is the second-highest total in the league.

The good news is that this team has nowhere to go but up with a youthful lineup that can only get better. Kembo Walker leads the team in scoring (17.8), assists (5.7) and steals (1.9), and Ramon Sessions is second with 14.8 points and 3.9 assists a game. Overall, the Bobcats have shown good balance with six different players scoring in double figures.

Houston will not make it out of the first round if it does make it into the postseason, but it is still a very solid middle-of-the-road team in the West. Behind James Harden’s 25.9 points, the Rockets remain the second-highest scoring team in the NBA with 105 points a game. They are shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 35.9 percent from beyond the arc while doing a good job under the boards with 43 rebounds a game.

The supporting cast features Jeremy Lin and Chandler Parsons. Lin leads the team in assists (6.1) while chipping in another 12.2 points a game, and Parsons is scoring 14.2 points, averaging 5.7 rebounds and dishing out 3.6 assists a game. Throw in Omer Asik, who is developing into one of the better rebounders in the league with 11.3 a game, and it all adds up to a team that can hang with the big boys in the NBA while usually beating the teams it is supposed to.

Bobcats at Rockets NBA Betting Odds and Trends

The opening line from BetOnline for this matchup has the Rockets as 12.5-point home favorites with the “over/under” line set at 208.

The Bobcats are 3-1-1 ATS in their last five road games and 4-1 ATS in their last five games following an ATS loss. The total has stayed under in five of their last six games on the road.

The Rockets are 3-10 ATS in their last 13 games overall and 1-6 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a losing record.

Head-to-head in this matchup, the home team is 6-1 ATS in the last seven meetings, and the total has stayed under in five of the last six meetings. Charlotte is 0-4 ATS in its last four trips to Houston.

Bobcats at Rockets Picks and Betting Predictions

While current form and recent trends in this series do not paint a pretty picture for the Bobcats, Houston has struggled to cover against teams with losing records. The outcome will never really be in doubt, but a small play on Charlotte and the 12.5 points remains the way to go as the Rockets sleepwalk their way to the SU win at home.

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Read more articles by Dave Schwab