Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Prediction, 2/3/2021 NBA Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder

Date: Wednesday, February 3, 2021

Location: Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, OK

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma

Odds/Point Spread: Houston (-5.5)

The Oklahoma City Thunder (8-11) host the Houston Rockets (10-9) at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Wednesday. The line on this game has Houston as 5.5-point favorites. The O/U has been set at 223.5.

The Houston Rockets stepped onto the hardwood against the Thunder and walked away with a win by a score of 136-106 in their last contest. Houston finished the game with a 48.0% FG percentage (49 of 102) and made 28 of their 52 shots from 3-point land. At the free throw line, the Rockets converted 10 of 11 tries for a percentage of 90.9%. Concerning hauling in rebounds, they earned 50 with 10 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 30 assists in the game in addition to earning 8 steals and 6 blocks. Regarding the defense, Houston allowed the other team to go 43.8% from the floor on 39 of 89 shooting. Oklahoma City distributed 21 assists and had 8 steals for the matchup. In addition, the Thunder snagged 45 rebounds (8 offensive, 37 defensive) and had 8 blocks. Oklahoma City shot 78.9% from the free throw line by making 15 of their 19 tries. They knocked down 13 of 34 shots from downtown.

Christian Wood is one player who came through for the contest. He totaled 18 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He was on the court for 26:02 mins and totaled 11 rebounds. Wood ended up going 61.5% from the field and also recorded 2 assists. An additional guy that was a factor in this matchup for the Rockets was John Wall. He snagged 6 boards and tallied 5 assists. He ended up shooting 58.3% from the floor in this game by connecting on 7-of-12 (18 points). In all, Wall saw the court for 21:42 min.

Houston comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 10-9 this year. The Rockets are hitting 36.6% on shots from 3-point land (273 of 745) and 75.6% from the charity stripe. They have an average of 112.3 points per contest (14th in the league) while shooting 45.9% from the field. They turn it over 15.5 times per game and as a group they commit 20.4 fouls on a nightly basis. As a unit, Houston is pulling in 44.5 rebounds per contest and is sitting with 444 assists on the year, which is 25th in basketball in terms of passing. On the defensive end, the Rockets are able to force 15.7 turnovers per contest while drawing 19.6 personal fouls. They are currently ranked 4th in basketball in allowing assists with 416 conceded for the year. The Rockets defense is allowing a field goal percentage of 44.8% (298 of 373) and they relinquish 47.2 boards per contest as a group. They concede 35.2% from beyond the arc while they are 9th in basketball in PPG allowed (109.4).

In their loss to Houston, the Thunder collected 37 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 45 for the contest. They turned away 8 shots while earning 8 steals in this game. The Rockets were called for 20 personal fouls in this game which got the Thunder to the free throw line for a total of 19 tries. They were able to make 15 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 78.9%. Concerning 3-pointers, Oklahoma City knocked down 13 of 34 attempts (38.2%). When the final whistle blew, the Thunder finished the game shooting 39 out of 89 from the floor which had them shooting 43.8%. The Thunder permitted the Rockets to make 49 out of their 102 tries from the floor which had them shooting 48.0% for this contest. They shot 53.8% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 28 of 52 and ended up shooting 10 of 11 from the free throw line (90.9%). When discussing rebounding, Oklahoma City allowed Houston to pull down 50 in all (10 on the offensive glass).

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was important for the Thunder for the matchup. He buried 8 of 15 for the game giving him a rate of 53.3%, which gave him 19 points. Gilgeous-Alexander totaled 2 rebounds in his 28:58 mins of time on the court and had 5 assists in the matchup. Another guy that played a role for Oklahoma City was Darius Bazley. He ended up walking away with 15 points in his 30:08 mins played via 6 out of 13 shooting in the matchup. Bazley finished going 46.2% from the field while also totaling 2 dimes and 6 total rebounds.

Oklahoma City has a win-loss record of 8-11 this year. The Thunder have committed 18.3 fouls per contest while shooting 72.2% from the free throw line. They are earning an assist 22.4 times per contest (27th in basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 14.3 times per game. Oklahoma City has earned 2,037 points so far this season (107.2 per game) and they average 43.8 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Thunder are hitting on 45.1% from the field, which has them ranked 22nd in the NBA. The Thunder are ranked 24th in basketball in PPG allowed with 115.5. They are able to force 12.5 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.5% from the floor (20th in the league). The Oklahoma City defense gives up 36.7% on three-point shots (257 of 701) and their opponents are making 77.1% of their free throw attempts. They have relinquished 25.1 dimes and 49.6 rebounds per contest, which ranks them 18th and 30th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Houston (-5.5)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here