Free NBA Series Pick: Thunder vs Rockets NBA Odds
Looking for Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets free NBA series picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Thunder taking on the Rockets on Sunday April 16th, 2017 at the Toyota Center, Houston, Texas. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball playoff matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions.
(47-35) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets (55-27)
2017 NBA Playoffs: Western Conference Round 1
NBA Series Odds: Rockets -360 | Thunder +300
NBA Championship Futures Odds: Rockets +1600, Thunder +6600
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The playoffs are finally here and one of the most anticipated first round match up takes place in the Western Conference. The six seed Oklahoma City Thunder and Russell Westbrook takes on the three seed Houston Rockets and James Harden.
The two teams faced off four times during the regular season. The Thunder won the first match up, and then the Rockets won the last three. The last two games were high scoring affairs. The last game the Thunder won 137-125.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Oklahoma City Thunder surprised a lot of people with how well they played this season. Coming into the season people believe the Thunder were a fringe playoff team, but throughout the season they proved a lot of people wrong and there never was any question if they would be in the playoffs this year.
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The Thunder were a good team during the regular season on the offensive end. They averaged 106.6 points per game which was 11th in the NBA. They also shot 45.2 percent which was 17th in the NBA. To have a chance in this series they are going to need to score more then their average of 106.6.
On the defensive side the Thunder were also a pretty average team. They gave up 105.8 points per game which was 16th in the NBA. The defensive side of the ball is going to be huge in this series. They need to find a way to slow down James Harden and they really need to try to limit how often they foul him.
Harden might be the best in the league at drawing fouls, and the Thunder can’t be falling into that trap if they want to pull the upset in this series.
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This Thunder team is going to go this playoffs wherever Russell Westbrook takes them. He set the NBA record for triple doubles in a season, and will probably get a few more of those in the playoffs. On the season he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game.
The Thunder need to have others around Westbrook step up around him. The likes of Oladipo and Kanter really need to have huge series for the Thunder to win. Westbrook can do a lot but he isn’t going to be able to beat the Rockets by himself.
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets have also been a surprise to many this season. A lot of people though they would be better this season, but not many people saw them getting the three seed. James Harden has been playing out of his mind this season and the players really seem to have bought into the system.
For the Rockets it’s all about the offensive side of the floor. They average 115.3 points per game which is second in the NBA, only behind the Warriors. The Rockets take a ton of three pointers every game. This season they have averaged shooting 40.3 attempts from behind the arc. That’s an increase of over 10 per game from last year.
The defensive side of the floor seems like an afterthought for the Rockets. They give up 109.6 points per game which is 26th in the NBA. The defensive side of the floor doesn’t really matter for the Rockets though, it all comes down to if the three pointer is dropping.
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For most of the season the Rockets have had trouble keeping leads and a lot of times teams will climb back into the game because the Rockets will go stretches where they can’t hit any shots.
This team really lives by the motto, live by three and die by the three. If the three ball is falling they will win this series, but if they go cold from behind the arc they could be upset in this one.
Free Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets NBA Series Prediction:
I really don’t think the Thunder will win this series but I think they will really give the Rockets a run for their money. I think Westbrook is going to have a huge series and will keep the Thunder in it just by himself.
4* Free NBA Series Betting Pick: Rockets in six
But in the end the Rockets have more talent around James Harden, then the Thunder have around Westbrook and that will be the difference. I think the Thunder will steal a couple home games, but the Rockets will be able to win the series in six games.
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