Rockets vs Thunder Online Betting Odds
The Houston Rockets will make the trip over to the Chesapeake Energy Arena for a date with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. The Rockets bring a five-game winning streak to town with them, while the Thunder have been up and down since the All-Star break.[ad-4468020]
Houston Rockets (44-19) at Oklahoma City Thunder (46-17)
Date: Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Venue: Chesapeake Energy Arena
City: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
O/U Odds: 217
Spread: Oklahoma City -4
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The Thunder came back from the All-Star break with three consecutive losses, all at home, followed by a three-game winning streak, and they’ve since lost two in a row.
The team has had some trouble incorporating star point guard Russell Westbrook back into the lineup, though, to his credit, Westbrook has averaged 20.9 points, 7.4 assists, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game since returning.
Star forward Kevin Durant hardly deserves any of the blame either. He recorded a triple-double with 27 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds on Sunday in a loss to the lowly Lakers.
A better place to point the finger could be at the absence of starting center Kendrick Perkins, whose absence will particularly noticeable with Dwight Howard coming to town.
The Rockets made themselves an immediate title contender by adding Howard in the offseason, though it did take them a while to incorporate him into the lineup.
The team started the season just 5-4, though they’ve been one of the hottest teams since the start of February, winning 15 of their last 17 games to climb into the third spot in the Western Conference, and get within 2 ½ game of San Antonio for first place in the conference.
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The Rockets have defeated some strong competition in their own building over the course of that stretch, and will now look to continue their torrid pace on a three-game road trip that will see them play in Oklahoma City, then at a red-hot Bulls team, followed by a closing date in Miami.
Star guard James Harden will look to play a big role against his former team on Tuesday. Harden is coming off a 41-point effort against Portland on Sunday.
The Thunder have dominated this matchup this season, winning each matchup, handily, including a 31-point victory in the lone meeting in Oklahoma City. That surely isn’t something that will be weighing lightly on the minds of the Rockets players.
They enter as the team in better form right now as the Thunder are having trouble figuring things out, particularly at the defensive end, having surrendered a combined 242 points in their last two games – that’s going to mean we can expect some points in this one as well.
The Rockets are 5-2 ATS in their last seven road games, while the Thunder are 2-6-1 ATS in their last nine games overall.
The over is 4-1 in the Thunder’s last five home games.
The play: Houston +4, Over 217