Sports Handicapper Frank Sawyer's Picks & Predictions

FRANK’S CUTTING ROOM FLOOR FOR WEDNESDAY, 11/19:

My “Cutting Room Floor” plays are the situations I considered the closest to being worthy of investment but did not make the “final cut” for my official plays today for subscribers. The last play I cut for Wednesday is with the Charlotte Hornets minus the points versus the Indiana Pacers. Charlotte (4-10) has lost three games in a row after their 110-108 loss at Toronto as an 8-point underdog on Monday. The Hornets have covered the point spread in 13 of their last 19 games against Central Division competition. They have also covered the point spread in 9 of their last 14 games when listed in the +/- 3-point range. Indiana (1-13) has lost eight games in a row after their 127-112 loss at Detroit as an 8.5-point underdog on Monday. The Pacers have failed to cover the point speed in 32 of their last 48 games against teams with a losing record. They have also failed to cover the point spread in 13 of their last 18 games against teams from the Southeast Division. Take Charlotte minus the points. Best of luck — Frank.

Frank Sawyer’s Hollywood Sports’ 20 of 27 (74%) All-Sports run with featured 25*/20*/10* plays continued after CA$HING the Kansas-Duke Under in college basketball last night! Frank is also on a 10 of 11 (91%) NBA run with featured plays to fuel his 24 of 33 (73%) NBA featured plays run! Frank is also on a 17 of 20 (85%) NBA sides run with featured plays after DELIVERING his 25* NBA Eastern Conference Game of the Month on Milwaukee last Friday — and now he furthers his 20 of 28 (71%) NBA Game of the Month/Year mark with his 25* NBA Wednesday ESPN Game of the Month tonight! DO NOT MISS OUT!

At 7:10 PM ET on Wednesday, we will be playing the Houston Rockets (507) minus the point(s) versus the Cleveland Cavaliers (508). THE SITUATION: Houston (9-3) has won four games in a row after their 117-113 victory against Orlando as an 8-point favorite on Sunday. Cleveland (10-5) has won three of their last four games after their 118-106 win against Milwaukee as a 6-point favorite on Monday. 

REASONS TO TAKE THE ROCKETS MINUS THE POINT(S): Houston opened the season by losing their first two contests — but they have since rattled off nine victories in their last ten games. They survived their game with the Magic despite only making 42% of their shots, which was a season low. The Rockets have covered the point spread in 8 of their last 12 road games after a win by six points or less. Houston leads the NBA in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. They also rank sixth in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency. Overall, this team is tied for second in the league in Net Adjusted Efficiency. They dominate their opponents on the glass. Led by Alperen Sengun, the Rockets lead the NBA by pulling down an incredible 40.8% of their missed shots. They limit their opponents to rebounding 29.9% of their missed shots, ranking ninth best in the league. Rebounding travels — and that makes Houston’s strong shooting away from home even more of a threat for home teams. They are making 50.3% of their shots away from home, including 43.6% of their shots from behind the arc. The Rockets have covered the point spread in 5 of their 6 games on the road. They have also covered the point spread in 8 of their last 9 road games with the Total set at 230 or higher. Furthermore, Houston has covered the point spread in 12 of their last 19 road games when favored by up to six points — and they have covered the point spread in 6 of their last 9 games on the road against teams winning 60-70% of their games. Jabari Smith is listed as questionable tonight with a knee — but the indications are he has a decent shot of playing. Cleveland is missing some important players. After returning from toe surgery over the summer, Darius Garland re-aggravated that injury after just three games and will miss more time. Jaylon Tyson is also out with an injury, and Sam Merrill is questionable with a hand injury. Those absences leave the Cavaliers a little thin in their backcourt. They made 55.7% of their shots on Monday in what was their best shooting effort of the season. The Cavaliers rank 10th in Adjusted Offensive Efficiency. They also rank ninth in Adjusted Defensive Efficiency — and they are surrendering 116.2 Points-Per-Game. The Rockets have covered the point spread in 6 of their last 7 games against teams that are giving up 116 or more PPG. Cleveland is just 16th in the league by allowing their opponents to rebound 31.4% of their missed shots — so Houston should get plenty of second-chance scoring opportunities. The Cavaliers have failed to cover the point spread in 6 of their 8 games at home this season — and they have failed to cover the point spread in 4 of their last 5 home games against teams with a winning record. 

FINAL TAKE: The lack of guard depth could spell trouble for the Cavaliers tonight. For the season (and healthier, in general), they rank 11th in the league by turning the ball over in 14.4% of their possessions. The Rockets generate 9.3 Steals-Per-Game — and Cleveland has failed to cover the point spread in 11 of their last 17 games against teams that average 9.0 or more Steals-Per-Game. 25* NBA Wednesday ESPN Game of the Month is with the Houston Rockets (507) minus the point(s) versus the Cleveland Cavaliers (508). Best of luck for us — Frank.