On Saturday, December 14th, the Houston Rockets face the Oklahoma City Thunder at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. We’re going to dive into the remainder of the matchups in this exciting tournament. That said, keep reading for odds, picks and player props for this game, and make sure you also check out our live VSiN programming for more analysis. Our talented hosts and analysts will surely spend some time talking about these games.
MORE: Head to the Pro Picks page for best bets from all of our VSiN hosts and analysts!
How To Watch Rockets vs. Thunder
When: Saturday, December 14th at 8:30 pm ET
Where: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Channel: ABC
Rockets vs. Thunder Odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook as of Thursday, December 12th. Look around for the best prices!
Moneyline: Thunder -205, Rockets +170
Spread: Thunder -5 (-110), Rockets +5 (-110)
Total: Over 214.5 (-110), Under 214.5 (-110)
Rockets vs. Thunder Analysis
The Thunder are 16-2 straight up when they have either Chet Holmgren or Isaiah Hartenstein on the floor. Of course, Holmgren is out indefinitely right now. But Hartenstein is healthy and playing well, so that record is very relevant when looking at the semifinals of the Emirates NBA Cup. However, it’s also relevant that one of the two losses came against this Rockets team. Earlier this month, Houston earned a 119-116 win over Oklahoma City, getting revenge for a 126-107 loss to the Thunder at Paycom Center back on November 8th. However, it does need to be noted that the Rockets had three full days of rest before facing the Thunder last game. Oklahoma City had played a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers two nights before.
As we look to this one, it’s a little hard to unsee what we saw in Houston’s win over Golden State. The Rockets had an offensive rating of 98.9 in that game, and that would be the worst mark in the NBA over the course of the entire season — by 5.1 points per 100 possessions. Well, the environment isn’t going to be any friendlier here. While Houston won’t have to deal with playing Oklahoma City on the road, the Rockets are facing a relentless Thunder team in a win-or-go-home game. That’s significant because this Houston team isn’t great offensively on a good day. That makes it hard to like the Rockets to hold their own against a Thunder team that has a half-court defensive rating of 85.9 this year. That’s the best mark in basketball this season, and second isn’t even close.
You can do a lot with that information. If you trust Oklahoma City to consistently get good looks offensively, lay the points. However, I think the best way to attack this game is by going Under. While I can paint a negative picture for Houston offensively, Oklahoma City still has to score. Well, the Rockets are third in the NBA in defensive rating. And while they were smothered by the Warriors in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, they won the game by doing some smothering themselves. Golden State didn’t score in the final 3:03 of that game at the Toyota Center, and that shows you how tough this Rockets team can be defensively.
Also, I mentioned it in my Hawks-Bucks preview, but three of the four quarter-final games went Under the total. These teams are treating the NBA Cup like the playoffs, and we generally see low-scoring games in the postseason. I don’t think it’ll be any different when two of the top-three defenses in the NBA hop on a neutral floor. And you shouldn’t downplay the significance of that either. These guys are playing on a court that they’re not very familiar with, and depth perception and overall comfortability are big factors when it comes to shooting the ball.
Rockets vs. Thunder Player Props
Isaiah Hartenstein Over 11.5 Rebounds (+105)
Hartenstein has been a monster on the glass for Oklahoma City. The 26-year-old has had at least 12 rebounds in seven of the nine games he has played for the Thunder this season, and he has also had two games in which he has had at least 16 rebounds. It was always pretty obvious that this signing was going to go well for Oklahoma City, so the early returns aren’t surprising. But it is cool to actually see how it all looks, and Hartenstein is going to want to have a good game on this big stage. That said, I’m backing him at plus-money odds to go Over 11.5 rebounds.
When these teams met on December 1st, Hartenstein had 13 rebounds in 30 minutes of action. He also had nine boards in just 15 minutes against Houston in the preseason. This Rockets team has a lot of toughness, but the group is a bit undersized. Alperen Sengun is a tremendous center, but Hartenstein will be able to move him and get good positioning all night.
Rockets vs. Thunder Pick
This game opened with a total of 215.5 and the number dropped immediately. That said, I’m grabbing the Under at the best number I can find. I think this is going to be an absolute brawl of a game, much like we saw when the Rockets hosted the Warriors. These are two defensive-minded teams that play with a lot of edge. So, in an elimination game, I don’t see this turning into a shootout. I’m also taking the Hartenstein prop.
Bet: Under 214.5 (-110)
