Friday, April 4, 9:30 PM on ESPN, CSNH, FSOK

Toyota Center, Houston, Texas

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After a Thursday night battle with the Spurs the OKC Thunder get no reprieve as they must immediately travel to Houston to take on the Rockets. Oklahoma City is guaranteed a home playoff series in the first round but the tilt with Houston could go a long way to fend off the Clippers for the #2 seed as LA has come within a game. The Rockets also need a win to secure home court for their first series as Portland has worked their way to tie in the win column for Houston's #4 seed.

OKC finished up the month of March going 8-2 from March 11th on. Dallas beat the Thunder twice over that time and would be their current first round matchup so maybe dropping out of the #2 seed wouldn't be a horrible thing. OKC is friends of the oddsmakers as they were favored in each of those 10 games only to go 5-4-1 ATS. OKC meets a tough schedule down the stretch as 6 of their final 8 games are away from the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

While the Thunder will be playing Friday night's game with no rest after a Thursday matchup with San Antonio, Houston will have had a full day off to contemplate a recent three game losing streak. The Rockets had won four in a row from March 17th to March 24th but met up with playoff teams Brooklyn, Toronto, and the Clippers recently and dropped all three. Houston's recent 5-5 SU record has coincided with a 4-game win streak from Portland that has allowed the Blazers to pull within a game of the Rockets #4 seed.

The Rockets have some mental issues to overcome as they've gone 0-3 against the Thunder thus far this year. Most recently OKC pulled out a 108-96 win at home on March 11th as -4.5 favorites.

ATS Trends

Oklahoma City is 18-17-0 ATS on the road this season

Oklahoma City is 18-17-0 against the over/under on the road this season

Houston  is 20-15-2 ATS at home this season

Houston is 18-16-3 against the over/under at home this season

Injuries to Watch

Oklahoma City 

03/31/14 G Reggie Jackson Back questionable
03/02/14 G Thabo Sefolosha Leg out indefinitely
02/22/14 C Kendrick Perkins Groin out indefinitely

Houston 

04/02/14 C Dwight Howard Ankle questionable
04/01/14 F Terrence Jones Illness questionable
03/28/14 G Patrick Beverley Knee out indefinitely
02/20/14 G Ronnie Brewer Ankle out indefinitely
01/25/14 F Greg Smith Knee out indefinitely

Josh's Pick: Take Houston

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