Wednesday, October 29, the Rockets (1-2) will face off against the Toronto Raptors (1-3) on the road at Scotiabank Arena.

When: Wednesday, October 29 @ 5:30 PM CT

Where: Scotiabank Arena, Toronto

Where to watch:

Fubo (with subscription)

NBA League Pass (with subscription)

Subject to local blackouts

Current FanDuel odds favor Houston -210 while the Raptors line is set at +176. The current pre-tipoff spread is -5.5 Rockets, and the over/under is 232.5.

Odds are subject to change

Houston is coming off their first win on Monday, in which they dominated the Brooklyn Nets 137-109 at home, hushing early season concerns after a 0-2 opening week record. Opening Night, the Rockets nearly defeated reigning NBA champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder, ultimately losing by one point (125-124) in the last two seconds of double overtime.

Udoka utilized a large starting five to disrupt the much smaller Thunder lineup- and it worked. In their second game against the Detroit Pistons, though, keeping all of the biggest players on the court wasn’t as advantageous against another defense-focused team. 

The Pistons’ guards were able to draw the big guys, like Alperen Şengün and Steven Adams out to the perimeter and outrun them and drive into the paint. That game was also riddled with whistles, so the Rockets had a hard time finding cadence and struggled from the field for long stretches. Houston ultimately fell to Detroit 115-111 in a matchup that shouldn’t have even been close.

On Monday against the Nets, coach Ime Udoka adjusted his method to his defense-first strategy. He replaced Steven Adams in the starting five with Josh Okogie- one of the toughest defenders in the league- to help double guard the Nets’ star shooter Cam Thomas. 

Udoka also gave the bench plenty of playtime, most importantly, Reed Sheppard and Tari Eason, who both had their best game of the season and surpassed several career highs. Every Rocket that played made a basket. 

Like Houston, Toronto has multiple shooting options, and won’t be relying on one guy to carry the scoreboard, making them trickier to defend than a team like the Nets. This year the Raptors acquired Brandon Ingram from the New Orleans Pelicans- who is the best shooter on the roster- However, head coach Darko Rajaković decided to position him as power forward, rather than his typical small forward position. 

Rajaković's offense focuses on versatile ball-handling and making every frontcourt player dangerous, so much of the shooting responsibility is spread out among R. J. Barrett, Scottie Barnes, and Immanuel Quickly. The Raptors fell to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday 121-103 on the road. Toronto couldn’t keep up once the lead got out of hand in the first quarter, and their defense looked disorganized and failed to slow the Spurs in the paint. 

Udoka’s size-first approach won’t likely be the tool he reaches for tonight- he’ll utilize the bench like on Monday and rely on speed and ball movement to create chaos and control the pace of the game to keep the Raptors on their toes. Okogie will likely make a re-appearance in the starting five, and Sheppard and Eason will be valuable rotations. 

If Houston can channel the momentum from Monday night’s win, keep their newfound rhythm, and utilize Kevin Durant when needed, the Rockets should leave Toronto with a second win under their belts.