NBA Betting: Oklahoma City vs Houston
Thursday NBA betting action sees the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Houston Rockets in Houston, TX. Cappers picks provides free NBA handicapping tips all season long.
James Harden will face off against his former teammates on the Thunder Thursday night.
NBA Basketball Odds
Oklahoma City Thunder (18-19) vs. Houston Rockets (27-12)
Thursday, Jan. 15
8:00 PM ET
Toyota Center/Houston, TX
TNT
NBA Betting Odds: HOU -2
NBA O/U Odds: 206
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Oklahoma City is 13-7 since Kevin Durant has returned to the line-up and will look to knock off a talented Houston team.
Oklahoma City
The Thunder have been dealing with injuries throughout most of the season so far and it has prevented them from developing any type of chemistry. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have both missed significant time which is proving to be detrimental to their offensive duo.
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Durant is averaging 25.0 points per game, which is down from his career average of 27.3, and has not been able to be consistent. He is the motor of the Oklahoma City offense. Oklahoma City has been held under 100 points in the past three games making it the fourth time this year.
Over the past three games the Thunder have shot a miserable 36.3% from the field and an even worse 26.6% from behind the arc.
Westbrook is having a great year statistically, but staying healthy has been his biggest problem. He is leading the team in scoring with 26.2 points per game, also dishing out 7.1 assists and pulling down 5.6 rebounds.
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If the Thunder hope to leave Houston with a victory they must get big performances from not only Durant and Westbrook, but also big man Serge Ibaka.
Houston
The Rockets have won the last two meetings between these two teams, but it hasn’t been pretty. Last game in Oklahoma City the Rockets won 69-65 and shot a season-low 28.8% from the field. However, the Rockets did not have a problem recovering from that woeful performance.
Before dropping last game against Orlando 120-113, Houston had won the previous four. James Harden has been the reason for the Rockets success along with help from Dwight Howard.
Harden is averaging a team-high 26.9 points per game with 6.6 assists and 5.7 rebounds. Dwight Howard has been struggling a little bit to stay healthy, but is still putting up consistent double doubles. Howard is averaging 16.8 points per contest along with 11.3 rebounds.
Houston has also received significant contributions from small forward Trevor Ariza who is averaging 12.7 points per game and has been solid on defense.
The main reason for the Rockets success this year has been defense. Scoring the basketball was never a problem for this team, but perimeter defending was.
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The defensive charge is led by James Harden who has realized that his team can score with any team in the league, but must limit opponents on defense to really be successful.
NBA Handicapping Tips:
- Oklahoma City is 0-5 ATS in their last five games vs. Western Conference.
- Oklahoma is 2-9 ATS in their last 11 games on the road vs. teams that have a winning home record.
- Houston is 8-0 ATS in their last eight games vs. teams that have a losing S.U. record.
- Houston is 4-1 ATS in their last five home games.
- Houston is 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall.
NBA Gambling Prediction
Oklahoma City has not been able to find a rhythm on offense at all and it will not come any easier in this game against the Rockets. Houston has made a point to put forth more effort on the defensive end and hold their opponents to low percentage shots. Durant and Westbrook both have to play their very best for Oklahoma City to be competitive. Considering how inconsistent they have been at times it is not safe to pick them to win this game. Look for Dwight Howard to have a big game down low and James Harden to play with intensity against his former ball club.
Free 4* NBA Betting Pick: HOU -2
The Rockets have been rolling as of late and to pick them to cover two points at home is a no brainer. Harden will come out hot and want to show his old team up on both ends of the floor.
Rockets 108, Thunder 97
Check out our Updated NBA Betting Odds.
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