Philadelphia 76ers vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 12/29/2023 Preview and Pick

Game: Philadelphia 76ers vs Houston Rockets

Date: Friday, December 29, 2023

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

The Philadelphia 76ers (20-9) are en route to Toyota Center on Friday where they will compete against the Houston Rockets (15-13).

The 76ers faced off with the Heat and took a loss by a score of 119-113 in their last game. Philadelphia wrapped up the game having earned a 42.6% FG percentage (40 out of 94) and made 17 of their 45 shots from 3-point land. From the free throw line, the 76ers buried 16 of their 25 attempts for a rate of 64.0%. When it comes to pulling down rebounds, they compiled a total of 36 with 5 of them being offensive. They also recorded 23 dimes in the matchup as well as forcing 14 turnovers and earning 11 steals. In relation to defending, Philadelphia allowed the other team to shoot 47.6% from the floor on 40 of 84 shooting. Miami recorded 27 dimes and had 5 steals for the matchup. In addition, Miami snagged 56 rebounds (13 offensive, 43 defensive) and added 4 blocked shots. Miami shot 77.1% from the charity stripe by converting 27 of their 35 attempts. They made 12 of their 32 tries from 3-point range. In the matter of fouls, the 76ers finished with 22 while the Heat had 17 fouls.

Tobias Harris is one guy who had an impact in this game. He totaled 27 points on 10 of 18 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 42 minutes and snagged 7 rebounds. Harris shot 55.6% from the floor and recorded 6 dimes.

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Philadelphia enters this contest with a record of 20-9 this year. They are averaging 122.0 pts per contest (4th in basketball) while shooting 48.3% from the field. The 76ers are hitting 38.1% on three-point attempts (359 of 943) and 85.0% from the charity stripe. As a team, Philadelphia is pulling in 44.9 boards per contest and has accounted for 754 assists for the season, which ranks 22nd in the league in terms of passing the ball. They are turning it over 12.9 times per game and as a squad are committing 20.6 fouls every game.

On the defensive end, the 76ers have forced 14.4 turnovers per game while drawing 19.9 fouls. They are 9th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 752 conceded this year. The 76ers defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 46.2% (1,176 of 2,546) and they surrender 42.4 rebounds per game as a team. They concede 34.5% on 3-pointers while they are 6th in the NBA in points per game allowed (111.2).

When they last stepped on the court, the Rockets walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 123-117 against the Pacers. In reference to how they rebounded, Houston allowed Indiana to pull down 45 overall (10 offensive). They finished 44.2% from distance by shooting 19 out of 43 and ended up shooting 18 of 21 at the free throw line (85.7%). The Rockets allowed the Pacers to convert 43 of 82 tries from the field which left them with a shooting percentage of 52.4% in the matchup. When this game wrapped up, the Rockets went 47 out of 97 from the field which gave them a rate of 48.5%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, Houston made 5 out of 24 tries (20.8%). They were able to knock down 18 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 81.8%. The Pacers had 22 fouls for the game which got the Rockets to the charity stripe for 22 attempts. They coughed it up 10 times, while getting 15 steals in the game. The Rockets were able to snag 29 defensive boards and 15 offensive boards for a total of 44 for this contest.

Alperen Sengün pitched in for the Rockets for the matchup. Sengun tallied 30 points in his 37 mins on the court and had 5 dimes for the game. He made 11 out of 20 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 55.0%, and had 16 rebounds.

Houston has a win-loss mark of 15-13 so far this year. On the offensive side of the court, the Rockets are hitting on 46.2% from the field, which ranks them 24th in the league. Houston has accounted for 3,129 pts so far this season (111.8 per contest) and they average 45.8 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 25.1 times per contest (25th in basketball) and they are turning it over 13.1 times per game. The Rockets are responsible for committing 22.0 fouls per contest while shooting 78.5% from the charity stripe.

The Houston defense surrenders 32.1% from downtown (320 of 997) and opponents are converting on 74.8% of their free throw shots. They surrender 23.3 dimes and 44.1 rebounds per contest, which is 1st and 19th in the NBA. The Rockets are ranked 2nd in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 108.3. They are forcing their opponents into 13.2 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 44.3% from the field (1st in the NBA).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Houston

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