3rd Quarter Report
Down one at the end of the second quarter, the Thunder now have the lead. They have jumped out to a 75-69 lead against the Rockets.
The Thunder entered the game having won four straight and they’re just one quarter away from another. Will they make it five, or will the Rockets step up and spoil it? We’ll know soon.
Who’s Playing
Houston Rockets @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Current Records: Houston 17-8, Oklahoma City 19-5
How To Watch
- When: Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 8:30 p.m. ET
- Where: T-Mobile Arena — Las Vegas, Nevada
- TV: ABC
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online Streaming: Catch select NBA matches on Fubo (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $30.00
What to Know
The Thunder and the Rockets are an even 5-5 against one another since November of 2022, but not for long. The Oklahoma City Thunder will be playing at home against the Houston Rockets at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Both have allowed few points on average, (the Thunder: 103.8, the Rockets: 105.9) so any points scored will be well earned.
The Rockets are hoping to do what the Mavericks couldn’t on Tuesday: put an end to the Thunder’s winning streak, which now stands at four games. The Thunder took down the Mavericks 118-104.
It was another big night for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who went 15 for 23 en route to 39 points plus eight rebounds and five assists. The match was his 14th in a row with at least 30 points.
The Thunder smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds. That’s a new trend for them: they were averaging 9.1 offensive rebounds per game earlier this season, but in their last ten games they’ve averaged 12.8.
Meanwhile, the Rockets hadn’t done well against the Warriors recently (they were 0-10 in their previous ten matchups), but they didn’t let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Rockets skirted by the Warriors 91-90 thanks to a clutch free throw from Jalen Green with 3 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The 91-point effort marked Houston’s lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn’t matter.
Among those leading the charge was Alperen Sengun, who dropped a double-double on 26 points and 11 rebounds. He had some trouble finding his footing against the Clippers on Sunday, so this was a step in the right direction.
Oklahoma City is on a roll lately: they’ve won eight of their last nine matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 19-5 record this season. As for Houston, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 17-8.
Going forward, the Thunder are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 5.5 points. This contest will be their 17th straight as the favorites (so far over this stretch they are 9-7 against the spread).
The Thunder couldn’t quite finish off the Rockets in their previous matchup two weeks ago and fell 119-116. Will the Thunder have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
Oklahoma City is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Houston, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Thunder as a 4.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 215 points.
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Series History
Oklahoma City and Houston both have 5 wins in their last 10 games.
- Dec 01, 2024 – Houston 119 vs. Oklahoma City 116
- Nov 08, 2024 – Oklahoma City 126 vs. Houston 107
- Mar 27, 2024 – Houston 132 vs. Oklahoma City 126
- Feb 27, 2024 – Oklahoma City 112 vs. Houston 95
- Feb 25, 2024 – Oklahoma City 123 vs. Houston 110
- Dec 06, 2023 – Houston 110 vs. Oklahoma City 101
- Feb 15, 2023 – Oklahoma City 133 vs. Houston 96
- Feb 04, 2023 – Oklahoma City 153 vs. Houston 121
- Feb 01, 2023 – Houston 112 vs. Oklahoma City 106
- Nov 26, 2022 – Houston 118 vs. Oklahoma City 105
