The team that gave the city of Houston the nickname Clutch City has been anything but clutch.
In clutch situations this season (read: any game within five points with five minutes remaining), the Houston Rockets have the worst turnover rate in the league (1.6). That has contributed to a 19-22 record in those games (they are 26-7 in non-clutch games) and some unfathomable losses that would make tanking teams proud. Just last week against the Timberwolves, the Rockets blew a 13-point lead in overtime, allowing shorthanded Minnesota to score the last 15 points of the game in a 110-108 loss. The 13-point comeback is the largest overtime comeback in NBA history.
And last month at Madison Square Garden, Houston led the New York Knicks by 18 points in the fourth quarter before losing, 108-106.
On Tuesday, the Rockets and Knicks meet again, this time in Houston. New York (48-27) enters the game only one game ahead of the Cavaliers for the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. Jalen Brunson & Co. have lost back-to-back games, to the Hornets and Thunder.
Kevin Durant and the Rockets are slim 1.5-point favorites over the Knicks on Tuesday.Â
While Rockets-Knicks is the marquee attraction on Tuesday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes six other NBA games and a full MLB schedule. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet on Tuesday. All times Eastern.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Knicks at Rockets
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: Houston | TV: NBC/Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model:Â Over 217.5
Though the Knicks rank seventh in the league in defensive rating (112.2 points per 100 possessions), they’ve struggled on that end of the floor recently. Over their last three games, they have given up 125.4 points per 100, which ranks 25th in the league over that time. Meanwhile, the Rockets also aren’t as good defensively as they were last year. They’ve allowed 112.2 points per 100 this season, which is up from 110.3 one year ago. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every game 10,000 times, sees a shootout on Tuesday. It says there’s a 62.4% chance the teams combine for 218 points or more and assigns a strong A grade to Over 217.5.
Cavaliers at Lakers
Time: 10:30 p.m. | Location: Los Angeles | TV: NBA League Pass | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model:Â Cavaliers +2.5 | Expert: Luka Doncic Over 32.5 Points -106 (Mike Barner)
What was the only thing that could stop Luka Doncic on Monday night against the Wizards? Suspension. The Lakers superstar was forced to sit out the game after accumulating 16 technical fouls this season. (The Lakers still won, 120-101.) Prior to the suspension, he averaged 39.7 points, including 27.3 shot attempts and 9.6 free throw attempts, over his previous 12 games. Barner notes that the Cavaliers have struggled defensively since acquiring James Harden, including ranking 20th in the league in defensive rating (119.2 points per 100) over their last 10 games. “This is a big number, but I still like the Over,” he says. Meanwhile, the SportsLine Projection Model says Cleveland has a 60.0% chance to cover and gives a B grade to Cavaliers +2.5.
Trail Blazers at Clippers
Time: 11 p.m. | Location: Inglewood, Calif. | TV: NBC/Peacock | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model:Â Clippers -5.5
Two teams battling for positioning in the play-in tournament in the Western Conference will square off on Tuesday when the Los Angeles Clippers host the Portland Trail Blazers at the Intuit Dome. The Clippers (39-36) sit in the No. 8 spot in the West but are just 1½ games ahead of the ninth-place Blazers (38-38). Los Angeles enters Tuesday on a five-game winning streak, the third longest active streak in the league. The team’s average margin of victory over the winning streak is 15.0 points a game. The Clippers have won both previous meetings against Portland this season, by seven and 16 points. The SportsLine Projection Model says Los Angeles has a 64.0% chance to cover and gives a B grade to Clippers -5.5.
MLB best bets, where to watch
Nationals at Phillies
Time: 6:40 p.m. | Location: Philadelphia | TV: MLB Net | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model:Â Over 9
Highly touted Philadelphia Phillies pitching prospect Andrew Painter is set to make his MLB debut on Tuesday when he takes on the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. A 6-foot-7 righty who was a first-round pick in 2021, Painter has battled injuries in the minor leagues but earned a spot in the Phillies rotation during spring training when he posted a 2.31 ERA. On Tuesday, he will face a Nationals ballclub that is tied for the MLB lead in runs scored (31). All four of Washington’s games have reached nine runs or more. The SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 62.4% chance the teams combine for 10 runs or more and assigns a B grade to Over 9.
Yankees at Mariners
Time: 9:40 p.m. | Location: Seattle | TV: TBS | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model:Â Over 7
The two betting favorites to win the American League play the second game of their three-game series when the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees battle at T-Mobile Park. On Monday, the Mariners edged the Yankees, 2-1, on Cal Raleigh’s walk-off single in the ninth. On Tuesday, two Opening Day starters, Seattle’s Logan Gilbert and New York’s Max Fried, are set to take the mound. Gilbert has had little success against the Bronx Bombers, going 2-3 with a 6.57 ERA in his career. In his lone appearance against the Yankees last season, he gave up four earned runs on six hits in 5â…“ innings. The SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 66.7% chance the teams combine for eight runs or more and gives a B grade to Over 7 runs.Â
require.config({“baseUrl”:”https://sportsfly.cbsistatic.com/fly-520/bundles/sportsmediajs/js-build”,”config”:{“version”:{“fly/components/accordion”:”1.0″,”fly/components/alert”:”1.0″,”fly/components/base”:”1.0″,”fly/components/carousel”:”1.0″,”fly/components/dropdown”:”1.0″,”fly/components/fixate”:”1.0″,”fly/components/form-validate”:”1.0″,”fly/components/image-gallery”:”1.0″,”fly/components/iframe-messenger”:”1.0″,”fly/components/load-more”:”1.0″,”fly/components/load-more-article”:”1.0″,”fly/components/load-more-scroll”:”1.0″,”fly/components/loading”:”1.0″,”fly/components/modal”:”1.0″,”fly/components/modal-iframe”:”1.0″,”fly/components/network-bar”:”1.0″,”fly/components/poll”:”1.0″,”fly/components/search-player”:”1.0″,”fly/components/social-button”:”1.0″,”fly/components/social-counts”:”1.0″,”fly/components/social-links”:”1.0″,”fly/components/tabs”:”1.0″,”fly/components/video”:”1.0″,”fly/libs/easy-xdm”:”2.4.17.1″,”fly/libs/jquery.cookie”:”1.2″,”fly/libs/jquery.throttle-debounce”:”1.1″,”fly/libs/jquery.widget”:”1.9.2″,”fly/libs/omniture.s-code”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/jquery-mobile-init”:”1.0″,”fly/libs/jquery.mobile”:”1.3.2″,”fly/libs/backbone”:”1.0.0″,”fly/libs/underscore”:”1.5.1″,”fly/libs/jquery.easing”:”1.3″,”fly/managers/ad”:”2.0″,”fly/managers/components”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/cookie”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/debug”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/geo”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/gpt”:”4.3″,”fly/managers/history”:”2.0″,”fly/managers/madison”:”1.0″,”fly/managers/social-authentication”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/data-prefix”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/data-selector”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/function-natives”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/guid”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/log”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/object-helper”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/string-helper”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/string-vars”:”1.0″,”fly/utils/url-helper”:”1.0″,”libs/jshashtable”:”2.1″,”libs/select2″:”3.5.1″,”libs/jsonp”:”2.4.0″,”libs/jquery/mobile”:”1.4.5″,”libs/modernizr.custom”:”2.6.2″,”libs/velocity”:”1.2.2″,”libs/dataTables”:”1.10.6″,”libs/dataTables.fixedColumns”:”3.0.4″,”libs/dataTables.fixedHeader”:”2.1.2″,”libs/dateformat”:”1.0.3″,”libs/waypoints/infinite”:”3.1.1″,”libs/waypoints/inview”:”3.1.1″,”libs/waypoints/jquery.waypoints”:”3.1.1″,”libs/waypoints/sticky”:”3.1.1″,”libs/jquery/dotdotdot”:”1.6.1″,”libs/jquery/flexslider”:”2.1″,”libs/jquery/lazyload”:”1.9.3″,”libs/jquery/maskedinput”:”1.3.1″,”libs/jquery/marquee”:”1.3.1″,”libs/jquery/numberformatter”:”1.2.3″,”libs/jquery/placeholder”:”0.2.4″,”libs/jquery/scrollbar”:”0.1.6″,”libs/jquery/tablesorter”:”2.0.5″,”libs/jquery/touchswipe”:”1.6.18″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.core”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.draggable”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.mouse”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.position”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.slider”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.sortable”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.touch-punch”:”0.2.3″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.autocomplete”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.accordion”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tabs”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.menu”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.dialog”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.resizable”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.button”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tooltip”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.effects”:”1.11.4″,”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.datepicker”:”1.11.4″}},”shim”:{“liveconnection/managers/connection”:{“deps”:[“liveconnection/libs/sockjs-0.3.4″]},”liveconnection/libs/sockjs-0.3.4”:{“exports”:”SockJS”},”libs/setValueFromArray”:{“exports”:”set”},”libs/getValueFromArray”:{“exports”:”get”},”fly/libs/jquery.mobile-1.3.2″:[“version!fly/utils/jquery-mobile-init”],”libs/backbone.marionette”:{“deps”:[“jquery”,”version!fly/libs/underscore”,”version!fly/libs/backbone”],”exports”:”Marionette”},”fly/libs/underscore-1.5.1″:{“exports”:”_”},”fly/libs/backbone-1.0.0″:{“deps”:[“version!fly/libs/underscore”,”jquery”],”exports”:”Backbone”},”libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.tabs-1.11.4″:[“jquery”,”version!libs/jquery/ui/jquery.ui.core”,”version!fly/libs/jquery.widget”],”libs/jquery/flexslider-2.1″:[“jquery”],”libs/dataTables.fixedColumns-3.0.4″:[“jquery”,”version!libs/dataTables”],”libs/dataTables.fixedHeader-2.1.2″:[“jquery”,”version!libs/dataTables”],”https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/app/VideoPlayer/AdobePass-min.js”:[“https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/util/Utils-min.js”]},”map”:{“*”:{“adobe-pass”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/app/VideoPlayer/AdobePass-min.js”,”facebook”:”https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js”,”facebook-debug”:”https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/all/debug.js”,”google”:”https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js”,”google-csa”:”https://www.google.com/adsense/search/async-ads.js”,”google-javascript-api”:”https://www.google.com/jsapi”,”google-client-api”:”https://accounts.google.com/gsi/client”,”gpt”:”https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net/tag/js/gpt.js”,”hlsjs”:”https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com/ajax/libs/hls.js/1.0.7/hls.js”,”recaptcha”:”https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api.js?onload=loadRecaptcha&render=explicit”,”recaptcha_ajax”:”https://www.google.com/recaptcha/api/js/recaptcha_ajax.js”,”supreme-golf”:”https://sgapps-staging.supremegolf.com/search/assets/js/bundle.js”,”taboola”:”https://cdn.taboola.com/libtrc/cbsinteractive-cbssports/loader.js”,”twitter”:”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”,”video-avia”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.48.0/player/avia.min.js”,”video-avia-ui”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.48.0/plugins/ui/avia.ui.min.js”,”video-avia-gam”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.48.0/plugins/gam/avia.gam.min.js”,”video-avia-hls”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.48.0/plugins/hls/avia.hls.min.js”,”video-avia-playlist”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/avia-js/2.48.0/plugins/playlist/avia.playlist.min.js”,”video-ima3″:”https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/sdkloader/ima3.js”,”video-ima3-dai”:”https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/sdkloader/ima3_dai.js”,”video-utils”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/js/CBSi/util/Utils-min.js”,”video-vast-tracking”:”https://sports.cbsimg.net/fly/js/sb55/vast-js/vtg-vast-client.js”}},”waitSeconds”:300});
