Russell Westbrook (27.5 PPG) and James Harden (27.5 PPG) battle it out in a matchup of top scorers when the Oklahoma City Thunder (42-34) take on the Houston Rockets (52-24). The game gets underway at 1:00 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 5 and will air on ABC.
The Thunder lost to the Grizzlies 100-92 on Friday. Enes Kanter played well in the loss for Oklahoma City, recording 24 points and 17 rebounds to earn his 28th double-double of the season. The Rockets, meanwhile, are coming off a 108-101 win over the Mavericks on Thursday. Trevor Ariza played well, recording 19 points, six rebounds, and six assists.
Kanter has been playing at a high level as of late for the Thunder, averaging 19.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 1.0 block over the last five games.
Oklahoma City could own the offensive glass in this matchup, as they rank second in the NBA in offensive rebound percentage at 28.6%. Conversely, the Rockets are 28th in the league on the defensive backboards with a defensive rebound percentage of 73.0%.
The Rockets have won both contests against the Thunder this season, including a 112-101 victory in their last matchup. Harden played a big role with 31 points and 10 assists.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Thunder look to build on their records of 42-34 Straight Up (SU) and 37-37-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 22-25 SU and 24-22-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Thunder come into the game with the league’s third-ranked home scoring offense, averaging 107.2 points per game on their own court. Oklahoma City has gotten to the free throw line often this season. They average 18 made free throws per game, which is fifth-best in the NBA. The Thunder have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the top-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 47.5 per game, while the Rockets rank 14th in the league with 43.7 per game. The Thunder will be looking to pick it up in this one after recent defensive struggles. The Thunder have given up an average of 110.0 points to opponents in their last 10 games, well over their defense’s season average of 101.2 PPG. Opposing offenses have been stifled by the Thunder, who allow a field goal percentage of only .437.
On the other side, Houston has a SU record of 52-24 and an ATS record of 44-32. Houston has a record of 30-17 SU and 26-21 ATS against the West. They sport the fourth-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 104.3 points per game. Houston is the top three-point shooting team in the league, hitting 876 shots from three-point range (11.5 per game). The Rockets are a force on the offensive glass, grabbing an average of 11.9 offensive rebounds per game. Houston’s three-point defense has set the standard for the league, with opponents shooting a league-low .319 from the three. They average 9.5 steals per game, good for second in the league. Houston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking third in points off turnovers with an average of 19.0 per game.
Houston beat Oklahoma City in their most recent meeting this season, taking the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the past 10 meetings. However, the Thunder lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4. Oklahoma City topped the Rockets in three key areas (field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers) four times over the last 10. Houston has had the edge in all categories once.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
Oklahoma City is 1-4 SU in its last 5 games.
Oklahoma City is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 13 of Oklahoma City’s last 19 games.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Oklahoma City’s last 6 games at home.
Oklahoma City is 20-3 SU in its last 23 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Oklahoma City’s last 8 games when playing Houston.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Oklahoma City’s last 5 games when playing at home against Houston.
Oklahoma City is 9-3 SU in its last 12 games when playing at home against Houston.
Oklahoma City puts up an average of 103.5 points per game (ranked seventh). Houston ranks 16th in points allowed per game with 100.2.
On average, Oklahoma City puts up 107.2 points per home game (ranked third). Houston ranks 21st in points allowed per road game with 102.9.
The Oklahoma City Thunder have a winning record (25-10) when their opponents score fewer than 100 points this season. The Houston Rockets are 12-13 when they don’t hit triple digits.
Oklahoma City is 17-24 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Rockets have a tremendous 40-11 record when they hit the century mark.
The Thunder have an offensive rating of 104.4 (ranked 11th). The Rockets rank sixth for their defensive rating of 100.3.
Oklahoma City averages fewer possessions per game than Houston, with 99.2 compared to 99.9. However, the Thunder score an average of 1.044 points per possession, more than the 1.036 that the Rockets score.
Houston is the seventh-ranked team in the NBA in average effective field goal percentage at 51.0%. Oklahoma City is 11-16 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
Oklahoma City makes an average of 20.7 assists per game (ranked 24th). Houston ranks higher in assists with 22.3 (ranked ninth).
Oklahoma City makes an average of 5.6 blocks per game (ranked sixth), while Houston makes 4.8 blocks per game (ranked 11th).
The Oklahoma City Thunder rank second in offensive rebounding, while the Houston Rockets rank 21st in defensive rebounding.
Houston averages 9.5 steals per game (ranked second). Oklahoma City is 18-12 when allowing at least 9 steals.
