The Houston Rockets head into Thursday’s NBA game against the Philadelphia 76ers with momentum built from recent victories, winning three straight. Meanwhile, the 76ers arrive looking to regroup after a rough stretch in which they have dropped three of their last four. Here, I break down this matchup in the NBA and give you my Rockets vs 76ers prediction for Thursday's action.
Our Rockets vs 76ers Pick
Pick: Philadelphia 76ers Moneyline
Confidence: 2/5
Game Snapshot
Matchup: Houston Rockets @ Philadelphia 76ers
Date & Time: January 22, 2026, 7:00 PM ET
Venue: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
Broadcast: NBA League Pass
Key Storylines
The Rockets have surged recently, winning their last trio of games behind contributions from Kevin Durant and supporting pieces after a shaky midseason stretch. They are currently 26-15 overall with a 4-1 record in their last five outings. Durant’s consistent scoring near 26 points per contest continues to lead Houston’s offense.
Injury concerns are significant for Houston. The team is without veteran point guard Fred VanVleet for the season due to a torn ACL, and center Steven Adams is out with a sprained ankle, limiting their interior presence. Tari Eason is listed as day-to-day with an ankle issue. The Rockets are leaning more on Durant and Sengun to make up for those absences.
Philadelphia has been up and down, sitting at 23-19 on the season and splitting its last ten games. All-Star guard Tyrese Maxey has been a force with scoring around 30 points per game, while Joel Embiid and Paul George are listed as questionable due to knee and ankle management issues. Embiid was recently out of a game due to injury management and George has missed time as well, but they are expected to play in this contest.
Both of these teams are in the top six in their respective conferences going into this game. Not only is this an important game as both teams look to maintain their places in their respective conferences, but it is also a good chance for both teams to prove themselves against elite competition.
Head-to-Head & Betting Trends
This is the first meeting of the season between the Rockets and 76ers.
Philadelphia comes into this game with a 24-18 record against the spread this season.
Houston is 20-21 against the spread heading into Thursday night.
The under is 21-19-1 in Rockets games going into this matchup.
The over is 22-20 going into this matchup for the Sixers.
Rockets vs 76ers Model Projection
Score Projection: Rockets 113 – 76ers 117
Win Probability: Rockets 38%, 76ers 62%
Final Thoughts
The Sixers are struggling lately, but I think that they will get a win at home in this contest. As long as Embiid and George are able to play, the Sixers should hang around throughout this game and I think that Maxey might be the best clutch-time scorer in this game, even more so than Durant. I'll take the Sixers as a slight underdog on the moneyline here, in what should be a thriller in Philly on Thursday night.
Jay Sanin is the GM and Head of Sports at ATS.io. He has been writing about sports gambling since 2013, handicapping tens of thousands of sporting events. He plays sides and totals aggressively across most sports and is more selective in player prop markets. He does his own modeling across most sports, and his family is jealous of how much time he spends on his precious spreadsheets.
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