Rockets vs Thunder Picks, Player Props to Bet & Latest Odds

• The Houston Rockets visit the reigning-champion OKC Thunder on opening night (Oct 21)
• The Thunder are heavy favorites to start their campaign with a win
• See my Rockets vs Thunder picks and player props to bet, plus the latest HOU/OKC odds

Coming off their first NBA Championship since relocating, the Oklahoma City Thunder (68-14, 35-6 home last season) will host the Kevin Durant-era Houston Rockets (52-30, 23-17 away) on opening night at the Paycom Center.

Tip-off is scheduled for 6:35 pm CT/7:35 pm ET. OKC will be without two important pieces from last year’s title run – Jalen Williams (wrist) and Isaiah Joe (knee), who are both injured. But they still have reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and that’s enough for oddsmakers to install OKC as a sizable favorite.

Below, I have set out my favorite Rockets vs Thunder picks, the full slate of player props available, and the latest odds.

Houston Rockets vs OKC Thunder Picks

• Houston Rockets +7 (-114) at FanDuel
• SGA over 31.5 points (-112) at Underdog

SGA, who has opened as the second-favorite to repeat in the NBA MVP odds (trailing three-time winner Nikola Jokic), averaged 33.2 PPG in five games against Houston last season. Most books have his point total at 32.5 and, ironically, he only exceeded 32.5 points once in those five games ( a 51-point outburst that drove his average way up). But Underdog has listed his total one point lower at 31.5, and he also had a pair of 32-point games against the Thunder last year.

I also expect the current Houston defense to take a sizable step back compared to last season. The Rockets finished with the fifth-best D-Rating in the league last year. There’s been a decent amount of turnover on their roster, of course, including the loss of elite defender Dillon Brooks. This year’s Houston team figures to be a faster-paced, more offensively-minded squad compared to the one that finished 12th in O-Rating while playing at the 18th-fastest pace.

The final reason I’m betting SGA to go over doubles as a major reason why I’m betting the Rockets to cover the spread: injuries. Jalen Williams (21.6 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 5.1 APG) was the only other Thunder player who averaged more than 15.0 PPG last year. Isaiah Joe also averaged in double-figures (10.2 PPG). Yes, OKC is one of the deepest teams in the league, but SGA’s usage is apt to be even higher in this game than it was, on average, last season when he led the NBA in scoring (32.7 PPG).

Rockets vs Thunder Player Props

NBA player props as of 12:19 pm ET at DraftKings.

SGA (32.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.4 APG last season) has the highest point total on the board at 33.5 O/U, which is ten more than any other player. Kevin Durant (26.6 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 4.2 APG) has the highest total on the Houston side (23.5 O/U) in his Rockets debut.

OKC center Isaiah Hartenstein (11.2 PPG, 10.7 RPG, 3.8 APG) has the highest rebound total at 8.5.

Rockets vs Thunder Odds

At the time of publication, the best moneyline price on the Thunder was -270 at FanDuel.The Rockets were as long as +230 at DraftKings.

HOU vs OKC Odds Movement

The biggest shift has come on the game total, which opened at 225.5 and has been bet up as high as 228.5 at DraftKings. Bettors can still get it as low as 227.5 at other sites.

The moneyline has also shifted significantly. Houston opened as a +200 underdog to pull off the upset in Durant’s first game with the team. They are now as long as +230.

Public-Betting Splits for Thunder/Rockets

The NBA public betting splits show an intriguing divide on the moneyline. OKC has attracted 88% of ML wagers, but just 46% of ML handle, meaning the Rockets are getting 54% of handle on a paltry 12% of bets. This is often a signal of sharps putting larger wagers on the underdog.

The public also loves the over tonight, with 85% of O/U handle and 77% of O/U tickets on the over so far.