Houston Rockets 2024-25 NBA Championship Betting
So far in 2024-25, the Houston Rockets are riding the momentum that was generated last year when they missed the NBA Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season but showed significant improvement. Houston has had to endure a painful rebuild that is finally showing results. However, in 2023-24, Houston reached the landmark .500 level to indicate plenty of upside. Midway through the season, the Rockets already had more wins than in the entire previous season. Most important to gamblers, the Rockets were in the black and showing solid value as a team that the squares ignored. Wise Guys continue to love Houston’s hidden value.
2024-25 NBA Championship Betting Odds
Houston Rockets NBA Betting Lines
In the 2023-24 season, the Houston Rockets were 41-41 straight up, 46-35-1 against the spread, and 42-39-1 over/under the total. Houston was 11th in the Western Conference playoff standings, 16 games behind the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Houston's NBA metrics were 16th for scoring offense, 27th for field goal percentage, 23rd for 3-point field goal percentage, 20th for free throw percentage, and 4th for offensive rebounding. On defense, the Rockets' metrics were 14th for scoring defense, 5th for field goal percentage permitted, 1st for 3-point field goal percentage allowed, and 24th for defensive rebounding.
Key Players
Last year, C Alperen Sengun led the Rockets with 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game. The Oklahoma City Thunder took Sengun as the 16th player in the 2021 NBA Draft out of Turkey. He began his career with the Rockets in 2021-22. So far this season, Sengun is averaging 19.1 points and 10.4 points per game.
SG Jalen Green averaged 19.6 points per game last season. The Houston Rockets selected Green as the 2nd overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft out of Prolific Prep. He was named to the 2022 NBA All-Rookie First Team. This year, he is averaging 21.5 points per game.
PG Fred Vanfleet averaged 17.4 points and 8.1 assists per game in 2023-24. Vanfleet is best known for his time with the Toronto Raptors, where he was a key asset on their 2019 NBA championship team. Vanfleet was a 2022 NBA All-Star. He went undrafted in 2016 out of Wichita State. This year, he is averaging 14.6 points per game.
Head Coach
Head coach Ime Udoka is a former NBA role player who played for several teams. In his only season as a head coach, he led the 2022 Boston Celtics to the NBA Finals. However, he was forced to resign over a sex scandal with a female employee.
Season-by-Season Record (Last 6)
| SEASON |
GAMES |
WINS |
LOSSES |
FINISH |
PLAYOFFS |
| 2023–24 |
82 |
41 |
41 |
3rd, Southwest |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2022–23 |
82 |
22 |
60 |
4th, Southwest |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2021–22 |
82 |
20 |
62 |
5th, Southwest |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2020–21 |
72 |
17 |
55 |
5th, Southwest |
Did Not Qualify |
| 2019–20 |
72 |
44 |
28 |
1st, Southwest |
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 1–4 (Lakers) |
| 2018–19 |
82 |
53 |
29 |
1st, Southwest |
Lost in Conference Semifinals, 2–4 (Warriors) |
Houston Rockets History
The Rockets did not start in Houston. They began as the San Diego Rockets and were the worst team in the NBA upon their inception in 1967. They went 15-67, but their first draft pick ended up being one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. Pat Riley was selected with the Rockets’ first round pick in 1967, and he ended up playing nine years in the NBA before turning his talents to coaching.
This franchise could not find success in San Diego, so the Rockets moved to Houston after just four years. They moved from the Western Conference to the Eastern Conference but then returned to the West and won the conference to make their first NBA Finals appearance in their first year back in 1981. Moses Malone was the star of the team, and Calvin Murphy was solid, too. Interestingly enough, two other future coaches were on the roster in Rudy Tomjanovich and Mike Dunleavy.
Houston returned to the NBA Finals in 1986 with Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson. The Twin Towers were tough for opponents to stop since Olajuwon was 7’0 and Sampson was 7’4, but injuries cut Sampson’s career short. However, Olajuwon went on to become the greatest player in franchise history. The Rockets were back-to-back NBA champions in 1994 and 1995 on the strength of Olajuwon teaming up with Kenny Smith, Big Shot Rob Horry, Vernon Maxwell, and Otis Thorpe.
Two more franchise stars came in the 21st Century. Yao Ming was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, and he was an All-Star in all eight of his years in the league before injuries forced him to retire at 31. The Rockets acquired James Harden from Oklahoma City in 2012, and he became an immediate star in Houston, but this team could never advance further than the Western Conference Finals.
NBA Teams
Eastern Conference - Atlantic
Eastern Conference - Central
Eastern Conference - Southeast
Western Conference - Northwest
Western Conference - Pacific
Western Conference - Southwest
Log into BookMaker Sportsbook and get the best Basketball Betting Odds, Basketball Betting Articles and information about this and all other sports betting events!
