Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets Prediction, 12/27/2025 Preview and Pick

Game: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Houston Rockets

Date: Saturday, December 27, 2025

Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX

TV: Space City Home Network

Toyota Center is where the Houston Rockets (18-10) will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers (17-15) on Saturday.

The Cavaliers stepped onto the hardwood against the Knicks and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 126-124 in their last contest. Cleveland wrapped up the game with a 52.3% field goal percentage (45 of 86) and made 15 of 34 shots from beyond the arc. From the free throw line, the Cavaliers made 19 of 23 attempts for a rate of 82.6%. When it comes to pulling down boards, they earned a total of 45 with 9 of them being offensive. They also recorded 20 assists in the matchup while creating 7 turnovers and having 3 steals. When discussing defense, Cleveland allowed 46.8% from the floor on 44 out of 94 shooting. New York earned 23 dimes and had 7 steals for the matchup. Moreover, New York pulled down 43 rebounds (12 offensive, 31 defensive) and got 4 blocks. New York finished the contest at 77.3% at the charity stripe by making 17 of 22 attempts. They buried 21 out of their 44 attempts from downtown. Regarding personal fouls, the Cavaliers left the arena with 16 while the Knicks had 18 personal fouls.

Donovan Mitchell is a guy who was a major contributor in this matchup. Mitchell finished 48.0% from the floor and dished out 6 assists. He played 33 minutes and pulled down 7 boards. He ended up with 34 points on 12 out of 25 shooting.

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Cleveland comes into this matchup with a mark of 17-15 this season. They are averaging 120.2 points per outing (6th in the league) while hitting 46.5% from the field. The Cavaliers are shooting 35.1% on shots beyond the perimeter (489 of 1,395) and 78.2% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Cleveland is grabbing 44.5 boards per game and has racked up 887 assists this year, which is 4th in the league in terms of passing. They are turning it over 13.9 times per contest and as a unit they are committing 21.3 fouls per contest.

Defensively, the Cavaliers have forced 16.2 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 21.3 personal fouls. They are giving up 37.7% on shots from beyond the perimeter while they are 22nd in the league in points per game allowed (117.8). The Cavaliers defense is giving up a FG percentage of 46.8% (1,334 of 2,852) and they relinquish 45.1 rebounds per contest as a team. They are currently ranked 28th in the league in giving up assists to their opponents with 873 surrendered this season.

For their last game, the Rockets walked away with a victory by a final of 119-96 against the Lakers. When it comes to how they attacked the glass, Houston allowed Los Angeles to grab 25 in all (7 offensive). They finished shooting 36.7% from three-point range by shooting 11 out of 30 and ended up going 7 out of 11 from the charity stripe (63.6%). The Rockets permitted the Lakers to convert 39 of their 77 tries from the field which gave them a rate of 50.6% in the matchup. When all was said and done, the Rockets went 48 for 90 from the floor which had them shooting 53.3%. Pertaining to shots from downtown, Houston converted 8 of 24 attempts (33.3%). They were able to convert 15 of the free throws for a rate of 78.9%. The Lakers were called for 13 fouls for the game which took the Rockets to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They coughed up the ball 16 times, while recording 7 steals for this game. The Rockets were able to pull down 31 defensive rebounds and 17 offensive boards for a total of 48 in the matchup.

Amen Thompson ended up being a factor for the Rockets in this contest. Thompson recorded 26 points in his 32 mins on the hardwood and totaled 5 assists in this game. He converted 12 out of 19 for this contest for a field goal percentage of 63.2%, and had 7 rebounds.

Houston has a record of 18-10 for the year. When it comes to executing on offense, the Rockets are hitting on 48.9% from the field, which is 4th in the NBA. Houston has scored 3,373 points so far this year (120.5 per game) and they grab 48.7 boards per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 25.8 times per contest (18th in the league) and they are losing possession via turnover 16.2 times per game. The Rockets are committing 20.2 personal fouls per game and they connect on 78.2% from the free throw line.

The Rockets on the defensive end are ranked 4th in the NBA in PPG allowed with 112.1. They are forcing 13.9 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 46.4% from the field (12th in basketball). The Houston defense allows 35.4% on shots from distance (356 of 1,006) and their opponents are converting on 75.9% of their free throw attempts. They give up 24.3 dimes and 37.8 rebounds on a nightly basis, ranking them 3rd and 1st in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Cleveland

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