A Western Conference showdown will be on the cards between two youth teams as the Oklahoma City Thunder face off in the Lone Star State against the Houston Rockets. It’s time to take an exclusive look at our NBA odds series, where our Thunder-Rockets prediction and pick will be revealed.
Going into the game with an 8-11 record, the Thunder showed their young talent and general grit by winning in a big way with an overtime win over the Bulls by a score of 123-119. After compiling a porous 22-50 record a season ago, which was the second-worst mark in the west, OKC are more than a third of the way to generating more wins than they have. all last year.
The only team that had a worse record than the Thunder a year ago was actually a Houston Rockets team that served as a doormat for the rest of the NBA. In fact, Houston ended its 82-game campaign in the 2021-22 season by finishing it with not only the worst record in the Western Conference but in the entire NBA at 17-55. Now, with a 4-14 record and hoping to show some improvement in head coach Stephen Silas’ third year, these are the type of games Houston needs to have.
Here are the Thunder-Rockets NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Thunder-Rockets Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder: -2 (-110)
Houston Rockets: +2 (-110)
Over: 231.5 (-110)
Minus: 231.5 (-110)
Why thunder might cover the spread
Without a doubt, OKC’s championship window passed when the Thunder were forced out of their dynamic duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook a few years ago and have been stuck in rebuilding mode ever since. However, there is plenty of room for encouragement if you are an OKC fan.
While their overall record might not show it, it’s becoming pretty clear that Oklahoma City are moving in the right direction and passing the eyesight test by doing so. Obviously, Oklahoma City is slowly but surely putting together the pieces to be a threat in this league for years to come.
Loaded with a surplus of young talent and already possessing a breakout superstar in this league by the name of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder could cover the gap simply because Thunder have the best player overall. Against the Bulls, Alexander had 31 points and found a way to get to the free throw line by connecting on 14 of his 15 free throw attempts.
Overall, Oklahoma City played an aggressive brand of basketball that resulted in qualifying in the charity stripe 32 times in the win over Chicago. If OKC can get him to the hole more often than not and not settle for jump shots, then the Thunder will have a huge chance to cover.
Why rockets could cover the spread
Owen Crisafulli ·
Paolo Songco ·
Owen Crisafulli ·
On paper, the Rockets are at a disadvantage in most categories when they face the Thunder, but the one thing Houston has going for them is the fact that they’ve played the majority of their games away and they will continue at home. stand which recently saw them defeat the Atlanta Hawks in impressive fashion yesterday. In the triumphant victory, the Rockets excelled at eliminating second-chance opportunities for the Hawks by passing them by a whopping 59-28 margin.
Throughout their 18 games played, the Rockets can also tend to get hot beyond the arc. Yes, the saying is that teams live or die by threes, but when it comes to Houston, it can be worth throwing as many open three-point attempts as possible considering they’re shooting a respectable 35%. deep which is a far cry from their overall field goal percentage which sits at an abysmal 44%. At the moment, this is currently the worst field goal percentage in the entire league.
Still, the Rockets will be hoping they can build on their momentum from last night and receive another standout performance from Jalen Green who had a team-high 30 points in the win. Getting the production of the second overall pick a year ago would be a good place to start, as someone on this list will have to step in to follow the scoring machine to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander themselves. Whether it’s Green or someone else, who’s going to take it out when it matters most?
Final Thunder-Rockets Prediction and Selection
There’s nothing quite like a clash between two of the lesser teams from a season ago! Although both teams have shown improvement at the start of this season, it will be the Thunder who will benefit from a Rockets roster that isn’t growing quite as fast as Oklahoma City’s. Hammer OKC to get their second win in as many games.
Thunder-Rockets Final Prediction and Selection: Thunder -2 (-110)
