The Oklahoma City Thunder will take on the Houston Rockets at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at the Toyota Center. The Rockets are hoping that first round pick Jalen Green can help propel them from the Western Conference cellar this season. Meanwhile, Oklahoma City is hoping that its young core of stars takes another step forward in 2021-22.
Houston is favored by three-points in the latest Rockets vs. Thunder odds from Caesars Sportsbook, and the over-under is set at 220. Before entering any Thunder vs. Rockets picks, you’ll want to see the NBA predictions from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned almost $9,000 in profit on its top-rated NBA picks over the past three seasons. The model finished up almost $600 on its top-rated picks last season and enters the 2021-22 NBA season on a stunning 100-66 roll on top-rated NBA picks against the spread. Anyone following it has seen huge returns!
Now, the model has set its sights on Rockets vs. Thunder. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Rockets vs. Thunder:
- Rockets vs. Thunder spread: Rockets -3
- Rockets vs. Thunder over-under: 220 points
Featured Game | Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
What you need to know about the Rockets
The Rockets had advanced to the Western Conference semifinals in three-of-four seasons between 2016 and 2020, but blew up the roster before last season and finished with the league’s worst record. Houston still has a very young roster and didn’t add much to it in the offseason.
On Wednesday, Houston lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on the road by a decisive 124-106 margin. The Rockets were down 99-71 at the end of the third quarter, and didn’t come close to threatening a comeback. Christian Wood (16 points) and Eric Gordon (15 points) were the top scorers for Houston, and Green scored just nine points in his regular season debut on 28-percent shooting from the field.
What you need to know about the Thunder
Oklahoma City got its season off to a rough start as well, when it lost its opener 107-86 to the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Luguentz Dort wasn’t much of a difference-maker for Oklahoma City; he finished with just seven points on 2-for-10 shooting in his 30 minutes on the court.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 18 points for the Thunder, but OKC made just 20 percent of its 3-point attempts and couldn’t keep up with the Jazz. Gilgeous-Alexander combined with PF Darius Bazley and Dort to go just 3-for-20 from beyond the arc. The Thunder turned the ball over 14 times, which isn’t great, but Houston had 24 in its loss, which is much worse. Oklahoma City turned the ball over more than any team in the league last season, while the Rockets forced the seventh-most from opponents on average.
How to make Rockets vs. Thunder picks
The model has simulated Rockets vs. Thunder 10,000 times and the results are in. We can tell you that the model is leaning under, and it’s also generated a point-spread pick that is hitting in almost 60 percent of simulations. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.
Who wins Rockets vs. Thunder? And which side of the spread is a must-back? Visit SportsLine right now to see which side of the spread you need to jump on, all from the computer model that has crushed its NBA picks, and find out.
