NBA Prop Bets: New York Knicks vs Houston Rockets (February 21, 2026)

The Houston Rockets (34-20) face the New York Knicks (36-21) at Madison Square Garden. Let's take a look at the NBA Prop Bets for Saturday's matchup. The Knicks opened as 2.5-point favorites but the spread has since moved to 3.5, leaving the Knicks at -162 and Rockets at +136. The total points line is set at 219.5, with OVER at -110 and UNDER at -110, meaning the implied expected score for the game is 112-108 New York.

The Knicks (-115) have a 31-25-1 ATS record this season, while the Rockets (-105) hold a record of 23-31-0.
The Knicks have a 29-27-1 O/U record this season (meaning 29 games have gone over the total points line, 27 have gone under and one has resulted in a push). The Rockets have a 22-32-0 O/U record.

Scoring Insights

The Knicks are averaging 117.9 points per game this season (8th in the league). Comparatively, the Rockets are averaging only 114.5 (21st).
Defensively, the Knicks are giving up 112.1 points per game this season (8th in the league), while the Rockets are giving up an average of 109.5 points (4th).

Game Style

What do the stats tell us about the style of basketball these teams are playing this season?

Pace

The Knicks currently rank 23rd for pace this season, recording 97.8 possessions per game. Alternatively, the Rockets sit 29th on that scale with 95.8 possessions per contest.

Field Goal Split

Looking at field goal splits, 43.8% of the Knicks' field goal attempts come from three point range (9th in the league), leaving 56.2% from two. Meanwhile, the Rockets' opponents are taking 40.1% of their attempts from three (5th) and 59.9% from two.
Comparatively, Houston takes 34.0% of shots from three (29th), leaving 66.0% from two, while New York's opponents are attempting 44.3% from three (23rd) and 55.7% from two.

Beyond the Arc

In terms of made three-pointers, the Knicks are shooting 37.6% from deep in 2025/26 (3rd in the NBA), compared to the Rockets who are making 36.8% of their attempts (7th).
On the opposite end, New York is holding opponents to 35.8% of their three-point attempts (13th), while Houston's opponents are hitting 34.9% of their shots (7th).

Ball Protection

The Knicks are committing 13.6 turnovers per game this season, ranking 4th in the league, while the Rockets are forcing 13.6 turnovers (23rd).
Flipping that script, New York is forcing 14.1 turnovers (16th), while Houston is committing 15.3 (24th).

Crashing the Boards

New York is pulling down 46.2 rebounds per game this season (4th in the league), including 13.1 offensive boards (3rd). Conversely, Houston's opponents are averaging 39.9 rebounds (2nd), 11.5 of which have come on the offensive end (16th).
Meanwhile, the Rockets are averaging 48.5 rebounds (1st) and 15.6 offensive rebounds (1st), while the Knicks are allowing 41.7 and 10.2, ranking 5th and 2nd.

First Quarter Winner

New York is -135 to win the first quarter, while Houston is +114. Here are their first quarter records in 2025/26.

	Total	Home	Road	Favorite	Underdog	Last 10
New York	23-31-3	14-15-1	9-16-2	19-26-3	4-5-0	5-5-0
Houston	33-18-3	13-11-1	20-7-2	31-16-2	2-2-1	4-4-2

First Half Winner

New York is -142 to win the first half and Houston is +120. Here are their first half records in 2025/26.

	Total	Home	Road	Favorite	Underdog
New York	32-25-0	19-11-0	13-14-0	28-20-0	4-5-0	6-4-0
Houston	28-24-2	12-13-0	16-11-2	27-21-1	1-3-1	6-4-0

HT/FT

New York is -110 to complete the HT/FT double. Conversely, Houston is +180.

The Knicks have completed the HT/FT double in 45.6% of games this season, while the Rockets have completed the HT/FT double in 38.9% of games.

To Go To Overtime

Saturday's matchup is +1400 to go to overtime.

The Knicks have played in two games that went to overtime this season, while the Rockets have appeared in six.

Both Teams 110+

Both teams have scored 110+ points in 26 of New York's 56 games this season. Meanwhile, 18 of Houston's 54 games have seen both squads reach that number.

Last Time They Met

New York recorded a 124-118 victory over Houston at Madison Square Garden when these teams last met on February 3, 2025. Jalen Brunson facilitated the offense on that day, finishing with 42 points and 10 assists. The Knicks have now won six straight at Madison Square Garden against the Rockets.