NBA Betting – OKC Offense Should Thunder Past Rockets

Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder (-9.5, 223.5 o/u)

Heading into the closing stretch of the season, the Houston Rockets (35-35, 16-20 Away) can’t get get any separation in their battle for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Rockets currently hold the last berth in the West, but sit just one game up on ninth-place Utah. They could see that slender lead get even slimmer tonight when they visit third-place Oklahoma City Thunder (48-22, 27-9 Home) at Chesapeake Energy Arena (8:00 PM Eastern).

Houston has changed coaches, lineups, and systems, but the reality is they are an average team in the powerful Western Conference.  Their mediocrity has continued over the last couple weeks as they’ve alternated wins and losses in their last six. They managed to get by the lowly Timberwolves (116-111) on Friday, but then fell at Atlanta (109-97) the next night.

The Rockets haven’t been sending their backers to the stratosphere, either, going a disappointing 29-40-1 ATS (including 16-19-1 on the road). If you’re looking for the root of the problem, cast your eyes to the defense which surrenders 107 PPG (fourth-worst in the league).

Now would be a great time for Houston to find some semblance of defensive prowess. The Thunder – who have won four straight – boast the league’s second-best O (110.2 PPG). That number’s been on the rise lately with OKC averaging 121 PPG on its current win streak.

The offensive explosion has led to the Thunder covering in four of their last five, only falling ATS as a 15.5-point favorite against the Sixers (a game they still won handily, 111-97).

OKC has been solid against Houston at home, going 10-4 SU in the last 14. Given Houston’s generally poor effort at the defensive end and the roll Durant and the Thunder have been on, things could get ugly for the visitors tonight.

Pick: OKC (-9.5). 

(Photo credit: 2O (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons.)