Docs Website

54 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

NBA Betting: Houston Rockets Season Long Handicapping 10/23/2026 vs. San Antonio Spurs

by Spencer Toth - 10/23/2026

NBA betting Houston Rockets season long handicapping vs San Antonio Spurs Kevin Durant

All season long, Doc’s Sports will be breaking down every weekday Houston Rockets game with the goal of churning a consistent profit over the season. We followed the Hawks last year and went up 69.3 units with a 112-81 overall record, and will be looking for more of the same this year with the Rockets. 

Doc’s Sports offers NBA expert picks for every game on our NBA predictions page.

Houston started the season off with a 128-110 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. Houston used a massive 38-12 second quarter that included a 19-2 run, to take a 70-38 lead into halftime, making it a comfortable second half for the home team. On the stat sheet, Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. both scored 30 points on a combined 21-33 from the floor. Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson also both logged double doubles with 10 rebounds apiece. Fred VanVleet only scored six points in his return to the court after more than a year on the sidelines, but 11 assists with no turnovers coupled with three steals gave him a very strong box score. Tari Eason was ejected late in the first quarter after shoving P.J. Washington to the floor, but the Rockets were able to lean on their depth to still walk away with a win. 

As a team, Houston dominated on the glass with a 42-33 rebounding advantage that included 17 offensive rebounds. The scoreline was closer than it could’ve been with the Rockets’ lead swelling to as high as 37 points, as a late flurry from Dallas in garbage time kept things semi-respectable. 

From a betting perspective, we had a perfect 3-0 night. Our biggest play of the day was a 4-unit pick on Amen Thompson to secure over 7.5 rebounds at +115 odds, and it cashed with ease as he ended with 10 boards. Our other player prop was Sengun to secure over 4.5 assists at -140 odds, and he finished with exactly five. Finally, we took the Houston Rockets (-9.5) on the point spread, which ended up being a bit sweaty, but ultimately cashed with the Rockets winning by 18 points against Dallas. 

Tonight, the Houston Rockets (1-0) hit the road to take on their closest geographical rivals with a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs (0-1). This one is even closer to home with the Spurs electing to play this home game in Austin rather than San Antonio, making this closer to a neutral site than a clear home court advantage for San Antonio. Any meeting with the Spurs will always gather plenty of eyeballs, as this one will be nationally televised for Houston’s second straight All-Texas showdown. San Antonio lost their season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and will be eager to get back in the win column after reaching the NBA Finals last year. 

Houston is one of the longer teams in the league with plenty of height and reach all over their lineup, but they don’t have anyone who compares to Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama has led the league in blocks per game in three straight seasons, and won his first career Defensive Player of the Year award last season. The impact he makes both in the paint, and in the open court is incomparable to anyone else in the league. Wembanyama stands at 7-foot-4 with an 8-foot wingspan, allowing him to seemingly be everywhere at once on the defensive end of the floor. Not only does he rack up blocks, but his presence alone will deter the Rockets from entering the high-percentage area in the paint, and will force Houston to stay on the outside or draw Wembanyama out of his preferred defensive position. On offense, Wembanyama can score from all three levels, is strong on the glass, and isn’t afraid to dish the rock if the double team appears. 

The Rockets almost always have an advantage on the glass, which allows them to prioritize two-point shots rather than more valuable triples, but that may not be the case against the Spurs tonight. Houston and San Antonio finished first and second in rebounds last year, which is even more impressive for Houston given its second-slowest pace. That means this game will be decided by the shooting and perimeter defense, where I give the slight edge to Houston. The Rockets length with Thompson, Durant, and Smith Jr. on the outside allows them to effortlessly rotate while cutting passing lanes in transition. San Antonio is led on the defensive end by Wemby on the inside and Stephon Castle on the outside, but lacks strong defenders elsewhere in the lineup. 

Both of these teams have solid continuity compared to last season’s respective rosters, which means there shouldn’t be any rust when they face off tonight. The point spread is sitting at -5.5 points in favor of the Spurs, but we will instead get greedy with the Rockets moneyline. Houston looked fantastic against Dallas in the season opener, and while this is a steep step up in competition, they could certainly pull off this upset. I expect the Rockets to carry their momentum and win this one outright, or potentially lose by double digits if things don’t go their way. This has me taking the +175 moneyline instead of the point spread for the first bet of the night. 

For the second pick, we will run it back with Alperen Sengun’s assists. He dished out five dimes against Dallas, cashing his over, and has a favorable matchup here against Wembanyama down low. The towering Frenchman will deter Sengun from shooting, and will force him to swing the ball instead. The Spurs gave up the second most assists to centers last year, so when Sengun finds cutting teammates in the lane, he will be able to surpass his 4.5 assist line at -140 odds. We will also sprinkle on 7+ assists at +250 odds as well. 

Finally, we will look at Stephon Castle on the defensive end. Castle didn’t log a steal in the season opener, but averaged 1.1 steals per game last season. He has -170 odds to collect at least one tonight, which is great value against a Rockets team that allowed plenty of steals to guards last year. The return of the responsible VanVleet is probably why we are getting this solid price, but Castle will still get one more often than not. 

Pick: Houston Rockets Moneyline +175 2 Units

Pick: Alperen Sengun Over 4.5 Assists -140 4 Units

Pick: Alperen Sengun 7+ Assists +250 1 Unit

Pick: Stephon Castle Over 0.5 Steals -170 1 Unit

2026-27 Season Record:
Moneyline: 0-0

Spread: 1-0

Total: 0-0

Player Props: 2-0

Overall: 3-0

Total Units: Up 7.9 Units 

2025-26 Season Record: 112-81, Up 69.3 Units

Get NBA picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bets by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

Most Recent NBA Handicapping

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers