NBA Basketball

2026-02-19 - Houston Rockets at Charlotte Hornets

A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown

Houston Rockets @ Charlotte Hornets
United States : NBA Basketball
Thursday 19th February 2026 - Scheduled 7pm
12am (British Time)

Preview

Almost two-thirds of the regular season are completed out of the NBA All Star Break, but the majority who pay any attention this League will consider this the 'second half' of the season. Fans know that teams will now be focusing on Seeding for the Playoff run or perhaps 'tanking' to ensure they are going to be in a strong position to bring in some talent that can change the momentum around any franchise.

Both the Houston Rockets (33-20) and Charlotte Hornets (26-29) will be looking to join the post-season party.

The home team may have the weaker record, but the Charlotte Hornets have picked up some real momentum prior to the All Star Break and that has pushed them into the top ten of the Eastern Conference. The 4.5 game gap between the Hornets and the top six may be tough to close, but Charlotte will certainly feel they can finish in the top eight of the Conference and give themselves two shots at making it into the First Round of the Playoffs.

Houston are already in the top six of the Western Conference, but they will have looked at the standings during this All Star Break and recognised the kind of work they will need to get through to avoid slipping out of those positions. The Rockets are currently 2 games clear of the Phoenix Suns in the Number 7 spot in the Western Conference, but Houston have to be feeling like the All Star Break has come at a good time with some inconsistent recent performances.

They are a bit of an 'old school' kind of team that are relying on strong Defensive performances, but who have not had the most efficient Offensive performances.

The Rockets were rumoured to be interested in trading for James Harden before he was moved to the Cleveland Cavaliers and that suggests they are aware of some of the limitations produced Offensively.

During the last five games, Houston have barely averaged over 100 points per game, even if they are a team that have had success lining up the three point shot. Picking up more boards on the Offensive glass would really help, but Houston will feel they can have some success when they do have the ball in a game like this one.

However, the bigger challenge is finding a way to put some pressure on the Charlotte Offensive players who have been having their own way. Even after seeing a long winning run ended in a battle against the Detroit Pistons, the confidence that has been put together by the Hornets allowed them to win the next game immediately.

This is a team that has been moving the ball so well that the Hornets have been averaging 17 made three pointers per game in recent outings. Hitting those marks will always make them very tough to beat and it is something that may concern Rockets fans considering the lack of intensity they have had in getting out to those long range shooters.

A little under two weeks ago, Charlotte upset the Houston Rockets on the road as a 4.5 point underdog and so there is a feeling that they should be getting fewer points than has been set for this line.

You do have to wonder if the All Star Break has just broken some of the rhythm that the Hornets shooters had before then, but this has all of the hallmarks of being a tough return for the Houston Rockets.

They travel to Madison Square Garden in the next game, which is another potential distraction and Charlotte may be able to earn the outright upset.

Prediction

It is an interesting game for two teams chasing Playoff spots in April.

Six weeks ago you would have made Houston a big favourite, but the Charlotte Hornets have been on fire and they can keep that going as long as the All Star Break has not cooled them down.