Feb. 21, 2026, 12:58 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
The Houston Rockets<\/a> (34-20) and New York Knicks<\/a> (36-21) meet Saturday at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York, at 8:30 p.m. ET (ABC). Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s<\/a> NBA odds around the Rockets vs. Knicks and make our expert NBA picks and predictions<\/a> for the best bets.<\/p>\n Season series: Knicks lead 1-0, a 124-118 home win Feb. 3. The Rockets covered the 7-point spread, and the Over (224.5) cashed. G Jalen Brunson scored a team-high 42 points.<\/p>\n The Rockets are coming off a 105-101 home win over the Charlotte Hornets<\/a> Thursday. They barely missed covering the 4.5-point spread, with the Under (218.5) cashing. F Kevin Durant led the way with 35 points.<\/p>\n The Knicks are coming off a 126-111 loss to the Detroit Pistons<\/a> Thursday. They missed covering the 4-point spread by a wide margin. Brunson scored 33 points as the Over hit at 219.5.<\/p>\n Watch the NBA on Fubo!<\/a>Rockets at Knicks odds<\/p>\n Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook<\/a>; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub<\/a> for a full list. Lines last updated at 12:50 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n Moneyline (ML): Rockets +135 (bet $100 to win $135) | Knicks -160 (bet $160 to win $100)Against the spread (ATS): Rockets +3.5 (-110) | Knicks -3.5 (-110)Over\/Under (O\/U): 219.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)Rockets at Knicks key injuries<\/p>\n Rockets<\/p>\n C\u00a0Steven Adams (ankle) outG Fred VanVleet\u00a0(knee) out<\/p>\n Knicks<\/p>\n G\u00a0Miles McBride (pelvis) out<\/p>\n For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rockets at Knicks picks and predictionsPrediction<\/p>\n Knicks 119, Rockets 112<\/p>\n AVOID.<\/p>\n The Knicks have been very good at home this season, posting a 21-8 record. Houston, on the other hand, has been pedestrian on the road with a 16-13 record. While they are one of the better defensive teams in the league, I don’t believe the Rockets have enough juice on offense to keep up with New York on the road.<\/p>\n BET KNICKS -3.5 (-110).<\/p>\n The Knicks’ dominance at home and potent offense should allow them to pull away late. They have covered the spread in each of their last 7 wins, and Houston has failed to cover in each of its last 4 losses.<\/p>\n BET OVER 219.5 (-110).<\/p>\n The Over has cashed for the Knicks in each of their last 3 games, and they are averaging 120 points per game at home. The Rockets have hit the Under in 6 of their last 8 games, but their dominance in offensive rebounding (16 per game) should help them put up enough points to hang around.<\/p>\n For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com<\/a> and BetFTW<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter\/X<\/a> and like us on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n Access more NBA coverage:<\/p>\n HoopsHype<\/a> | Celtics Wire<\/a> | Nets Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Rockets Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Sixers Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Thunder Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Warriors Wire<\/a>\u00a0| LeBron Wire<\/a> |\u00a0Rookie Wire<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0List Wire<\/a><\/p>\n Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change.<\/p>\n Gambling involves risk. 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