Houston Rockets vs Toronto Raptors Prediction: Can the Rockets beat Toronto now?

Houston, the last team in the Western Conference, played two great games, beating Detroit and Oklahoma. Can the Rockets beat Toronto now?

The Rockets have several interesting young players on the roster, but they're not a team yet. In the previous two meetings, though, some signs of teamwork were already evident. Beating Detroit is hardly worth considering, but beating Oklahoma City, even without their star Jalen Green is an excellent result (112:106). Houston showed their ability to progress with this win.

Fred VanVleet finally calmed down and said he wanted to stay with the Toronto Raptors. Will things get better for Nick Nurse's team now? The Raptors' situation is tricky, with only 23 wins in 53 games. They're just one win away from reaching the playoff spot in the Eastern Conference's top ten.

The meeting in Houston will be the sixth for the Raptors in a tough road trip. So far, the result is not too bad (2:3). Toronto lost to Golden State (117:129), Phoenix (106:114), and Utah (128:131) but beat Sacramento (113:95) and Portland (123:105).

Toronto shows their superiority from time to time - at least in their recent road win over third team Sacramento in the West. The Raptors could very well win their game against Houston, too. What's more, they have to beat the underdog if they expect, and they certainly do, to end up in the playoffs at the end of the regular season. Houston is the clear underdog this season, and even though they beat Oklahoma State last season, they could very well drop their next game. Moreover, the statistics of face-to-face meetings in recent years against Toronto are not in favor of the Rockets.