It will be a matchup of two teams headed in opposite directions when the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0) compete against the winless Houston Rockets (0-3) at the Toyota Center. Action begins at 8:00 pm ET on Monday, Nov. 2 and can be seen on NBA, RSW and FxK.
The Rockets are expecting better results after their 109-89 loss to the Heat on Sunday. Marcus Thornton was the team’s leading scorer with 21 points. The Thunder are coming off a 117-93 win over the Nuggets on Sunday. Kevin Durant led the game in scoring by accounting for 25 points on 8-for-11 shooting.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is sitting at 217 points. The Rockets started on the wrong foot with records of 0-3 Straight Up (SU) and 0-3 Against The Spread (ATS).
In the other locker room, the Thunder have a record of 2-1 ATS and 3-0 SU. They sport the top-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 125.5 points per game. The Thunder convert their three-pointers at a high percentage, ranking fourth in the league at .394. Oklahoma City is one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. The Thunder average 52.3 rebounds per game, making them the second-best team in the league for that category. When it comes to defending the rim, the Thunder are one of the best in the league with an average of 7.7 blocks per game.
The conference rivals will be facing off in their first head-to-head clash of the season. When they last met the Rockets were winners, bringing their SU record to 6-4 over the Thunder in the last 10 games. The teams have an even record ATS, 5-5. Oklahoma City has held the edge in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) three times over the last 10, while Houston accomplished this twice.
Predictions: SU Winner – OKC, ATS Winner – OKC, O/U – Over
Notes
Houston is 1-6-1 SU in its last 8 games,.
Houston is 18-7 SU in its last 25 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 12 of Houston’s last 18 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Houston’s last 13 games when playing Oklahoma City.
Houston is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games when playing Oklahoma City.
Houston is 16-6 SU in its last 22 games when playing at home against Oklahoma City.
In its last game, Oklahoma City won by a 24-point margin. Houston is 0-3 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Oklahoma City has a 1-0 record in blowouts.
The Rockets are winless this season when they allow at least 100 points (0-3). Conversely, Oklahoma City is undefeated when it hits triple digits (3-0).
Ranked second, the Thunder have an offensive rating of 112.1. The Rockets, on the other hand, rank 26th with a defensive rating of 110.1.
Oklahoma City is among the top-ranked teams based on its average field goal percentage of 48.6% (ranked second). Houston has not won a game this season when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage (0-2).
In comparison to the rest of the league, the Houston Rockets see similar results in both field goal percentage and effective field goal percentage, ranking 29th for both metrics. The Oklahoma City Thunder also rank the same for both FG% and EFF%, coming in at second.
On average, the Oklahoma City Thunder make 24.0 assists per game and the Houston Rockets make 18.7. Oklahoma City is ranked fifth, while Houston is ranked 24th.
With 7.7 blocks per game, the Oklahoma City Thunder rank third in the league. The Houston Rockets are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking sixth with 6.7 blocks per game.
The Houston Rockets rank 19th in offensive rebounding, while the Oklahoma City Thunder rank 10th in defensive rebounding.
The Houston Rockets earn an average of 8.3 steals per game. The Oklahoma City Thunder are undefeated at 3-0 when they allow at least 8 steals.
