Rockets vs Thunder Game 5 Picks and Odds

• Rockets, Thunder down to a best-of-three in their First Round series
• OKC guards Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander carrying Thunder
• See the odds, our analysis and best bets for Game 5 below

There’s much on the line when the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets clash in Game 5 of their best-of-seven series.

One team will be facing elimination after Wednesday’s game, and the Thunder vs Rockets odds still favors Houston, despite dropping Games 3 and 4 to watch their 2-0 series lead shrivel up.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets Game 5 Odds

Odds taken Aug 26th. Tip-off is 6:40pm ET

At the time of this writing, there’s still uncertainty over Russell Westbrook’s availability for Game 5, as he’s recovering from a quad injury. Who should you be backing? Let’s preview the pivotal matchup.

Rockets Shoot Their Way Out Of Game 4

Houston was just two three-pointers away from tying the all-time NBA record for bombs made in a playoff game — and they still lost. Their three-or-nothing philosophy served them well early in the third quarter when they went a blistering 8-for-8 from deep to build a double digit lead.

But their touch  abandoned them the rest of the way, shooting a poor 5-for-26 from three. They watched a 15-point lead dissolve as the Thunder came back to finish off a massive Game 4 win.

One @NBA Playoff Snapshot: @okcthunder 117, @HoustonRockets 114 (Game 4). pic.twitter.com/uj1jnK3XoN

— RealGM (@RealGM) August 25, 2020

Still, a +36 differential over the Thunder from the three-point line should have been enough to gain a win. But the Rockets set an NBA record by attempting 58 threes. That lovefest from around the arc took away from all other parts of their game.

A team that feasted from the stripe with 26.1 attempt per game average (second in the NBA) attempted just 10 all game, getting outscored 22-9. Living on the perimeter led them to get outscored 46-34 in the paint, and OKC outscored them on second chance points 17-7.

James Harden was so frustrated about today's loss that he knocked over the hand sanitizer pic.twitter.com/yqQySY3BJV

— SB Nation (@SBNation) August 24, 2020

While James Harden led all scorers with 32 points and 15 assists, he struggled in the fourth quarter, going just 1-for-4 from three, with seven points and two turnovers. He was clearly frustrated after the game.

Dort Takes On Daunting Task

He’s not exactly a Harden-stopper (no one is), but rookie Luguentz Dort is giving the Thunder much-needed, above-average wing play. He’s making his mark on the defensive end, where he has the unenviable task of trying to contain one of the NBA’s best scorers. His nine points on 3-for-9 from three-point range is gravy.

Luguentz Dort just played successful defense on James Harden for a full quarter and a half with 5 fouls.

I'm not sure I can think of a higher compliment for a defender.

— Stephen Dolan (@SteveThunderfan) August 24, 2020

Dort’s ability to make Harden work all game certainly played a part in the Beard’s less-than-stellar closing quarter. And the ripple effect of Dort’s emergence keeps the undersized trio of Chris Paul, Dennis Schroder and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander away from Harden, and getting repeatedly put in the blender.

OKC ends the 3Q on a 21-7 run! 🚨@okcthunder 94@HoustonRockets 93

4Q underway on @NBAonTNT pic.twitter.com/y7nIV1O9JD

— NBA (@NBA) August 24, 2020

It frees them do work on the offensive side, where they are doing damage. Schroder posted a team-high 30 points in the win, while Gilgeous-Alexander chipped in 18 points and 12 boards. But the team has really emerged with the better play of Chris Paul. After passive efforts in two losses, where he averaged 17 points, 5.5 assists and shot 45% from the field, he’s been assertive in their two wins, scoring 26 points a game and shooting 53.8%.

What’s the Best Bet?

The Rockets are still unsure if Russell Westbrook will play in this series. In an ideal world, Houston would have made quick work of OKC, letting Russ sit this series out and start fresh in Round 2.

FROM ELIAS: James Harden is the only player in postseason history to have 30 points, 15 assist and 5 rebounds in a game and lose. Players with 30-15-5 were 11-0 entering today. pic.twitter.com/PP4LOYhSVs

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) August 24, 2020

Looking at Houston’s box score, it seems like everything is ok: six players scored in double digits, and the Rockets shot 39.7% from three. But watching them play, it’s clear Harden needs some relief as the central hub of the offense.

But even if Westbrook doesn’t return in Game 5, I still think Harden has a supernova effort in him to put the Rockets in position to close it out in Game 6. It will have to be, as the Thunder will give Houston all they can handle in another close one.

The pick: Rockets -2.5 (-110)