NBA Playoffs Picks - Portland at Houston

The NBA playoffs means NBA betting goes to the next level. The Houston Rockets (56-31 SU, 42-22-1 ATS, 42-45 O/U) will look to advance out of the first round of the postseason for the first time in the Yao Ming era when they host the young Portland Trail Blazers (56-31 SU, 48-38 ATS, 40-45-1 O/U) in Game 6 of their first-round playoff series tonight at the Toyota Center at 9:30 PM ET.

The Blazers staved off elimination in Game 5 by winning 88-77 as power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and shooting guard Brandon Roy each scored a team-high 25 points to help the Blazers cover the spread in the as 5-point home favorites.

Power forward Luis Scola led the Rockets with 21 points and six rebounds while the final score played Under the 182-point O/U total.

Here is a look at tonight’s key trends, followed by my in-depth analysis and our free NBA picks brought to you by BetUS Sportsbook.

The Trail Blazers are 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games playing on 1 days rest.
The Trail Blazers are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 playoff games as an underdog.
The Rockets are 8-1 ATS in their last 9 games following a SU loss of more than 10 points.
The Rockets are 27-9-3 ATS in their last 39 Thursday games.
The Under is 6-2 in the last 8 meetings in Houston.
The Trail Blazers are 5-2 ATS in the last 7 meetings in Houston.
The Underdog is 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.

NBA Odds
Portland Trail Blazers +5 -110
Houston Rockets -5 -110
Over 179½ -110
Under 179½ -110
Analysis: While the Houston Rockets have failed to cover the spread in three consecutive games in this series after cashing in for BetUS NBA sports betting backers in the first two games, I like the Rockets to win this game and cover the spread as they advance out of the first round for the first time in the Yao Ming era.

The Blazers have one of the brightest futures of any team in the league and absolutely nothing to be ashamed of by losing to the Rockets in this series.

Take the Rockets to cover and the Under to play out for the fourth consecutive contest.

NBA Free Picks: Rockets -5 Points/Under 179½ Total Points

Check out the current NBA lines now at BetUS and bet on all 8 first-round series now.