Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks Prediction, 2/21/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Houston Rockets vs New York Knicks

Date: Saturday, February 21, 2026

Location: Madison Square Garden in New York, NY

TV: ABC

Madison Square Garden is the location where the New York Knicks (35-20) will compete against the Houston Rockets (33-20) on Saturday.

The Rockets faced off with the Clippers and took a loss by a score of 105-102 in their last game. Houston wrapped up the game having earned a 46.3% FG percentage (38 of 82) and buried 12 of their 36 shots from distance. At the charity stripe, the Rockets made 14 of their 18 shots for a rate of 77.8%. When discussing rebounding, they collected 45 with 13 of them being offensive. They also dished out 25 dimes for this contest while forcing the other team into 11 turnovers and having 3 steals. In terms of defense, Houston let their opponent shoot 46.8% from the floor on 36 of 77 shooting. Los Angeles totaled 21 assists and had 13 steals in this matchup. In addition, Los Angeles pulled down 32 rebounds (7 offensive, 25 defensive) and added 9 rejections. Los Angeles finished the game at 84.6% when shooting free throws by making 22 of their 26 attempts. They made 11 out of their 28 shots from 3-point land. In the matter of personal fouls, the Rockets walked away with 17 while the Clippers totaled 15 personal fouls.

Kevin Durant is one guy who was a major contributor for this game. Durant finished the game at 46.7% from the floor and dished out 6 assists. He played 36 mins played and snagged 8 boards. He ended up scoring 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting.

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Houston will enter this game with a mark of 33-20 so far this year. They turn the ball over 15.4 times per game and as a squad they commit 18.6 fouls every game. As a team, Houston is grabbing 48.6 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 1,308 dimes for the campaign, which is 28th in the league in terms of passing. The Rockets are shooting 37.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (600 of 1,623) and 75.5% from the free throw line. They average 114.6 points per outing (20th in the NBA) while hitting 47.1% from the field.

When they are on defense, the Rockets have forced 13.6 turnovers per game and they draw 20.4 fouls. They relinquish 34.9% on 3-point shots and they are ranked 4th in basketball in PPG allowed (109.6). The Rockets are giving up a FG percentage of 45.8% (2,136 of 4,664) and they concede 39.8 boards per game as a squad. They rank 2nd in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 1,296 relinquished on the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Knicks took home the win by a final score of 138-89 when they faced the 76ers. With respect to how they rebounded, New York allowed Philadelphia to pull down 38 in all (12 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 18.8% from 3-point land by shooting 6 out of 32 and finished the game at 17 out of 21 from the charity stripe (81.0%). The Knicks allowed the 76ers to make 33 of 88 tries from the field which had them shooting 37.5% in this game. Overall, the Knicks finished shooting 48 for 91 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 52.7%. When talking about shots from beyond the perimeter, New York knocked down 20 of 44 tries (45.5%). They were able to convert 22 of them for a rate of 81.5%. The 76ers were called for 18 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Knicks to the free throw line for 27 shots. They also gave up possession of the ball 15 times, while earning 13 steals for this contest. The Knicks snagged 39 defensive boards and 12 offensive rebounds totaling 51 for the contest.

Jose Alvarado was important for the Knicks for the contest. Alvarado recorded 26 points in his 19 mins of playing time and earned 4 dimes in the game. He converted 8 out of 13 for the game for a field goal percentage of 61.5%, and had 3 rebounds.

New York has a record of 35-20 this season. When it comes to executing on offense, the Knicks are shooting 47.2% from the floor, which has them ranked 12th in basketball. New York has accounted for 6,491 points for the year (118.0 per game) and they pull down 46.3 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 27.2 times per game (10th in the league) and they turn it over 13.6 times per contest. The Knicks are responsible for committing 20.4 personal fouls per contest and they shoot 79.0% from the free throw line.

The New York defense surrenders 35.7% on 3-point attempts (759 of 2,128) and their opposition knocks down 77.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have relinquished 24.6 dimes and 41.6 boards every game, which ranks them 3rd and 5th in basketball. The Knicks on defense are ranked 6th in the league in PPG allowed with 111.9. They are forcing 14.1 turnovers per game and have allowed teams to shoot 45.9% from the field (7th in the league).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take New York

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