Thunder vs Rockets Pick, Preview & Betting Odds For Wednesday, February 1st

Check out our free Thunder vs Rockets pick and preview for this NBA game in Houston. See who we like to win and cover the spread in this NBA matchup.

Thunder vs Rockets NBA Pick & Preview

Sport: NBA
Teams: Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets
Where: Houston at Toyota Center
Date: Wednesday, February 1st
Betting Odds HOU +5.5, OKC -226 | HOU +184 O/U OFF

So far, the Thunder have put together an overall record of 24-26, while going 32-18-0 vs the spread. Across the team’s previous 3 games, they have gone 1-2 straight-up and 1-2 vs the spread.

Oklahoma City is trying to bounce back from a 128-120 loss to the Warriors. Going into this game, the team was 5 point underdogs on the spread, giving them an ATS loss. Oklahoma City got off to a slow start, trailing by 15 points going into halftime. Leading the team in scoring was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as he contributed 31 points while hitting 41.7% of his shots.

So far, the Rockets have put together an overall record of 12-38, while going 18-30-2 vs the spread. Over the team’s past 3 games, Houston has an overall record of 1-2, including going 1-2 against the spread.

The Rockets are coming off a 117-114 win over the Pistons. This win came despite entering the game as the 6 point underdogs. This was a highly contested matchup, as Houston was not able to extend their lead in the second half as they went into halftime with a 2 point lead. In the win, Eric Gordon led the team in scoring with 24 points on a field goal percentage of 47.1%.

Head To Head Recap & Stats

I Last year, the Thunder saw a drop in overall scoring when playing the Rockets, averaging 97.75 points per game. While the Thunder struggled on offense in the series, the Rockets maintained their usual level of scoring at 107.25 vs Oklahoma City. Across the previous 5 meetings between the teams, the Rockets have an average scoring margin of +10 points per game, leading to an ATS mark of 4-1. In these contests, they averaged a combined 208 points per game, leading to an over-under mark of 1-4.

Odds & Free Betting Analysis For This NBA Game

Coming into today’s action, Oklahoma City is averaging 116.9 points per contest. This figure places them 6th in the league. When looking at the Thunder pace of play, they tend to play an up-tempo style of basketball. So far, the team is in the upper half of the NBA in possessions per game, averaging 101.8. Heading into the game, the Thunder will look to continue with their formula of playing fast and getting to the basket, as they are near the top of the league in two-point fields made per game.

Currently, the Thunder defense is ranked 15th in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 111.83 points per game vs the unit.

Point-Guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander currently leads the Thunder at 30.9 points per game. For the season, he is 12th in the NBA in usage rate and has taken 21.9% of the team’s field goal attempts. In addition to his scoring, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 4.8 boards and 5.7 assists per contest. In today’s game, he is facing off against the NBA’s 19th ranked defense at defending point-guards. Josh Giddey enters the game sitting second on the team in scoring. Through 45 games, he is averaging 16.1 and is 110th in the league in player efficiency rating.

This season, the Houston offense has had their problems scoring the ball as they are a below average unit at 109.6 points per game. When looking at the team’s pace of play, the Rockets are currently below the league average in possessions per game, averaging just 99.1 per contest. If the Rockets offense is going to turn things around, they will need to either generate more possessions or improve their overall efficiency. Currently, they are just 29th ranked team in 3-point shooting percentage.

Currently, the Rockets defense is ranked 30th in points allowed. So far, opposing teams are averaging 118.2 points per game vs the unit.

Personel figures to be a big issue for the Rockets in today’s game, as both Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr. are listed as out on the injury report. For the year, Green leads the team in scoring at 21.7 points per game, which ranks 36th in the NBA. Not having Porter Jr. is also a big blow to the team, as he is averaging 19.2 points per game for Houston.