Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets Series Betting Pick
Moneyline: HOU -350 / OKC +250
With the first round of the NBA Playoffs upon us, there is value to be found in series outrights in the conference quarterfinals. In the wild Western Conference, the Houston Rockets earned the #3 seed finishing behind their cross-state rival the #2 seed San Antonio Spurs in the Southwest Division. Oklahoma City finished #6 in the Western Conference behind Northwestern Division winner Utah Jazz to punch their ticket to the post-season. The odds are provided by 5Dimes
Taking center stage is the storyline of MVP candidates Russell Westbrook and James Harden slugging it out in what will be a high-octane collision. Westbrook led the league with 31.6 points per game while also posting 10.4 assists per game and 10.7 boards per game. The numbers average out to a triple-double. Westbrook was able to achieve this while complemented by a unit that collectively shot dead-last in three-point efficiency on the season. Despite the Thunder taking a step back in production, OKC discovered methods to victory as the unit transformed into the best rebounding team in the NBA despite being veiled as a finesse team.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets Series Prediction
The Rockets have gone 3-1 against the Thunder this year when the two squared off. To complement Harden, the Rockets acquired both Eric Gordon and Lou Williams in the off-season to further enable and empower a potent second-ranked scoring offense. Harden like Westbrook, evolved his game to become more of a well-rounded instrument as opposed to being a prolific scorer. Despite the glitz and glamor of the Rockets’ high-powered attack, Houston’s defense has always been its fatal flaw. During the Kevin McHale era, Houston focused their game on outscoring opponents by the three-ball and ultimately, this cost them a chance at the Western Conference crown when they were outgunned by the Golden State Warriors. A similar situation can occur here. The Rockets are ranked 26th in scoring defense while allowing opponents to shoot 46.3% from the field. This poses a heightened risk for anyone itching to step in on Clutch City be that they are a cold night away from a nasty loss. Against the likes of Westbrook and company, this can be a rather dangerous wager to make. Let us not forget, Westbrook is hungry to go back to the Western Conference Finals as they took down San Antonio in route to what was a classic series with Golden State before making a raucous exit. Houston makings a living off of their offense and often teams that play this brand of basketball are never built to go the distance. Contrarily, the Thunder can outmuscle the Rockets in the paint if Westbrook is not in his peak form. However, if Houston goes cold at the wrong time they will have no answer for this potentially incendiary attack that the Thunder can yield against a porous defense. Tremendous value here on the Thunder.
Free Pick: Take Oklahoma City +250 to win the series.
