The Houston Rockets are hot, coming into tonight's home game against the Clippers as winners of four of their last five overall.The Clippers have lost three of their last four, and they are playing in their second game of a back-to-back coming off a loss in San Antonio last night. My money is on the home team as a short favorite.

Here are my keys to the game:

1. Previous History - The Rockets have owned this series in recent seasons, winning five of the last six meetings dating back to last December. The Clippers have struggled, failing to cover in four straight overall.

2. Home Cookin' - The home team has covered the spread in six of the last eight meetings between the two teams. The Rockets are coming off a big blowout home win over the Grizzlies, shooting a whopping 54.1 percent from the field, and going 16-of-33 from three-point range. Houston has scored an average of over 114 points in it's last five games.

3. X-Factor - The Rockets are 7-2 ATS in their last nine games versus teams with a winning straight up record.

Selection: This is a play on the Houston Rockets (10*)