Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets Prediction, 1/1/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Houston Rockets vs Brooklyn Nets

Date: Thursday, January 1, 2026

Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

TV: NBA TV

Barclays Center is the site where the Brooklyn Nets (10-19) will go up against the Houston Rockets (19-10) on Thursday.

The Rockets faced the Cavaliers and went home with a win by a final score of 117-100 in their last game. Houston walked away from the game having earned a 48.9% FG percentage (43 out of 88) and converted 16 of their 35 3-point attempts. At the free throw line, the Rockets made 15 of their 21 attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. In terms of grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 51 with 18 of them being on the offensive end. They also distributed 27 dimes for the matchup as well as forcing the other team into 15 turnovers and earning 12 steals. In the matter of defense, Houston allowed their opponent to shoot 42.7% from the field on 41 out of 96 shooting. Cleveland doled out 23 dimes and had 10 steals for this game. On top of that, Cleveland collected 42 rebounds (15 offensive, 27 defensive) and added 9 blocks. Cleveland finished the game shooting 63.6% from the charity stripe by knocking down 7 of 11 shots. They also converted 11 out of their 36 attempts from three-point range. When talking about personal fouls, the Rockets walked away with 14 and the Cavaliers accumulated 15 personal fouls.

Kevin Durant is someone who was a major contributor for the game. Durant finished the contest at 64.7% from the floor and distributed 7 assists. He played 29 minutes and snagged 4 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 30 points on 11 of 17 shooting.

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Houston comes into this contest with a mark of 19-10 this year. They are turning it over 16.2 times per contest and as a unit they commit 20.0 personal fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Houston is snagging 48.8 rebounds per game and has tallied 748 dimes for the campaign, which has them ranked 26th in the league in terms of passing. The Rockets are connecting on 40.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (350 of 875) and 78.0% from the free throw line. They average 120.3 points per contest (5th in the NBA) while going 48.9% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Rockets are able to force 13.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 21.8 fouls. They are conceding 35.2% on shots from beyond the arc while they are 3rd in basketball in opponents points per game (111.7). The Rockets are giving up a shooting percentage of 46.2% (1,182 of 2,557) and they relinquish 37.9 boards per game as a group. They rank 1st in the NBA in giving up assists to their opponents with 703 surrendered for the year.

When they last played, the Nets went home victorious with a score of 123-107 when they faced the Timberwolves. Concerning cleaning up the glass, Brooklyn allowed Minnesota to grab 34 in all (10 on the offensive glass). They wrapped up this game 41.9% from distance by connecting on 13 of 31 and finished the game at 20 of 28 from the free throw line (71.4%). The Nets permitted the Timberwolves to knock down 37 out of their 83 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 44.6% for the matchup. When the final whistle was blown, the Nets ended up shooting 46 out of 84 from the field which gave them a rate of 54.8%. When discussing 3-point attempts, Brooklyn made 11 of 40 tries (27.5%). They were able to knock down 20 of them for a percentage of 95.2%. The Timberwolves were called for 20 fouls for the matchup which took the Nets to the charity stripe for 21 tries. They also gave up possession 16 times, while getting 8 steals in this matchup. The Nets were able to collect 30 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive rebounds totaling 39 for this game.

Cam Thomas was important for the Nets in this matchup. Thomas recorded 30 points in his 20 mins on the court and had 4 dimes for the contest. He buried 9 of 15 in this game for a field goal rate of 60.0%, and accumulated 3 rebounds.

Brooklyn has a mark of 10-19 for the year. The Nets are committing 20.3 fouls per game and they hit 79.1% from the charity stripe. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 25.9 times per contest (17th in the NBA) and they turn the ball over 16.0 times per contest. Brooklyn has tallied 3,183 points on the season (109.8 per contest) and they collect 40.6 rebounds per contest. As an offensive team, the Nets are connecting on 44.9% from the field, which ranks them 27th in the league.

The Nets on the defensive side of the court are 10th in the NBA in points per game surrendered with 113.7. They are forcing 14.3 TO's every game and have let teams shoot 48.2% from the floor (25th in the NBA). The Brooklyn defense gives up 37.2% on three-point shots (360 of 968) and their opponents are connecting on 78.8% of their shots from the charity stripe. They relinquish 27.5 assists and 42.9 total boards per game, which ranks them 23rd and 11th in basketball.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston

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