Who's Playing

Cleveland @ Houston

Current Records: Cleveland 13-21; Houston 11-21

What to Know

The Houston Rockets are getting right back to it as they host the Cleveland Cavaliers at 9 p.m. ET March 1 at Toyota Center. Cleveland will be strutting in after a win while the Rockets will be stumbling in from a defeat.

It's hard to picture a worse loss than the 133-84 bruising that Houston suffered against the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Houston was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 63-37. One thing holding Houston back was the mediocre play of point guard John Wall, who did not have his best game: he finished with 14 points on 4-for-16 shooting and turned the ball over five times in his 26 minutes on the court.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia 76ers typically have all the answers at home, but this past Saturday Cleveland proved too difficult a challenge. The Cavaliers won 112-109 over the 76ers in overtime. Point guard Collin Sexton (28 points) was the top scorer for Cleveland.

Barring any buzzer beaters, the Rockets are expected to win a tight contest on Monday. Now might not be the best time to take Houston against the spread since they've let down bettors for the past four consecutive games.

Houston is now 11-21 while Cleveland sits at 13-21. Two offensive stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Houston has only been able to knock down 43.80% percent of their shots, which is the fourth lowest field goal percentage in the league. The Cavaliers have experienced some struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the game with the fewest points per game in the league, having accrued only 104.5 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

  • When: Monday at 9 p.m. ET
  • Where: Toyota Center -- Houston, Texas
  • TV: ATTSN Southwest
  • Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Rockets are a slight 2.5-point favorite against the Cavaliers, according to the latest NBA odds.

The line on this game has moved quite a bit since it opened, as it started out with the Rockets as a 6.5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -106

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine's advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Houston have won six out of their last ten games against Cleveland.

  • Feb 24, 2021 - Cleveland 112 vs. Houston 96
  • Dec 11, 2019 - Houston 116 vs. Cleveland 110
  • Jan 11, 2019 - Houston 141 vs. Cleveland 113
  • Nov 24, 2018 - Cleveland 117 vs. Houston 108
  • Feb 03, 2018 - Houston 120 vs. Cleveland 88
  • Nov 09, 2017 - Houston 117 vs. Cleveland 113
  • Mar 12, 2017 - Houston 117 vs. Cleveland 112
  • Nov 01, 2016 - Cleveland 128 vs. Houston 120
  • Mar 29, 2016 - Houston 106 vs. Cleveland 100
  • Jan 15, 2016 - Cleveland 91 vs. Houston 77

Injury Report for Houston

  • Kenyon Martin Jr.: Game-Time Decision (Ankle)
  • Eric Gordon: Out (Knee)
  • Rodions Kurucs: Out (Oblique)
  • Christian Wood: Out (Ankle)
  • Dante Exum: Out (Calf)

Injury Report for Cleveland

  • Cedi Osman: Game-Time Decision (Back)
  • Taurean Prince: Out (Ankle)
  • Andre Drummond: Out (Not Injury Related)
  • Matthew Dellavedova: Out (Abdomen)
  • Kevin Love: Out (Calf)
  • Larry Nance Jr.: Out (Finger)