Rockets should pass history test

Matching history should come easy for Houston tonight.

Seeking to equal the second-longest winning streak in NBA history, the Rockets will play the Atlanta Hawks, who have lost 13 of their last 17. With a victory, Houston will have 20 in a row, the same streak Milwaukee had during the 1970-71 season. The longest winning streak in league history belongs to the Lakers, who won 33 in a row during their championship season of 1971-72.

However, the Hawks could be a stumbling block for the Rockets, who are 7-0 since center Yao Ming was sidelined for the season by foot surgery. Houston has lost three consecutive games in Atlanta, including a 105-99 defeat last season. The Rockets’ last win in Georgia (86-77) came March 22, 2004.

Houston, now in the hunt for the best record in the Western Conference, also could make some history of its own. The Rockets, who have covered the point spread in all seven of their games without Yao, will be looking for a record 11th consecutive win by double digits. The last time they failed to win by at least 10 points was Feb. 19, when they defeated Cleveland by eight.

While the Rockets have been easily handling their opponents, Atlanta, still in the mix in the Eastern Conference playoff race despite a 26-37 record, has failed to cover the spread in its last five games, according to the website Vegasinsider.com

College basketball

California, which has to be the best ninth-place team in the country, begins Pacific 10 Conference tournament play tonight against Washington.

The Bears, who have lost five of their last eight against the Huskies, will need to win the tournament to get a berth into the NCAA tournament, but Cal probably is better than many of the teams who will be in the field of 65 next week.

A loser by a combined five points at USC and UCLA last weekend, the Bears have split with Washington this season, with each team winning on the road. California won, 79-75, Feb. 2 in Seattle and the Huskies won, 87-84, March 1 in Berkeley.

Baseball

Although Boston won the American League East and went on to capture the AL pennant and the World Series in 2007, the New York Yankees won the season series from the Red Sox, 10-8.

Those who think New York can do the same this season can get the Yankees at +120 on the website Bodoglife.com. This means a bettor would have to wager $100 to win $120. The Red Sox are favored at -150, so a player would have to wager $150 to win $100.

The Angels, whose main threat in the American League West looks to be Seattle, is -200 to win the season series against the Mariners. Seattle, which lost 13 of 19 to the division champions a season ago, is +160.

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bob.mieszerski@latimes.com