The Rockets get another game at home and will be solid favorites to pick up another win. James Harden was fantastic for Houston while Westbrook struggled, and when that happens it makes for a blowout.
Westbrook will need to play better in the second game for the Thunder to have a shot in this one.
This war on the floor will go down Wednesday, April 19, 2017, at 5 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Wednesday schedule.
NBA Odds
The Rockets are going to be favored again in this one and the scoring total will again be high. Houston covered in the first matchup but the “under” was the right play as Oklahoma City had trouble scoring in the 118-87 loss.
Houston is 56-27 straight up and 43-39-1 against the spread. The Rockets have played in 42 games at home this season and covered in 19 of them. Houston is 33-34 against the spread as the favorite and will aim to pull even by covering again.
Last Time Out
The Rockets used a big second half to pull away from Oklahoma City and cruise to the Game 1 victory. Harden had 37 points, nine assists and seven rebounds in the win as Houston shot 49.5 percent from the field as a team.
Patrick Beverly stepped up huge as a second option, scoring 21 points while shooting 8-of-13 from the field. If Harden can get enough support, the Rockets should be able to roll in this series, but Westbrook will do what he can to stop it.
Westbrook had 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists in the contest but shot just 6-of-23 from the field. He also turned the ball over nine times and must take better care of the ball.
Player to Watch
Victor Oladipo -- The Thunder don’t have a lot of scorers beyond Westbrook, but Oladipo is one of them. If he is off his game, it will really hurt Oklahoma City, as was the case in Game 1.
He had just six points on 1-of-12 from the field and missed all six of his three-point attempts. Oladipo averaged 15.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during the season, shooting 44.2 percent from the field, and it’s imperative he improves mightily moving forward.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Thunder had a solid season to grab the No. 6 seed, and hopes to stick around awhile in the playoffs. However, the margin for error is small, as Westbrook must have a fantastic showing in Game 2 for the Thunder to have a shot at the upset.
The Rockets showed their superiority in the first matchup, and while this one is assured to be closer, they have too many weapons on offense for Oklahoma City to stop. While Westbrook should have an MVP-caliber performance, it will be Harden and the Rockets who are able to once again come away with the victory and move up two games to zero in the series. Houston should be able to cover once again as well.
The scoring total was too high in the first matchup. While Houston is a well-tuned offensive machine, the Thunder is lower-scoring and wasn’t able to keep up with the pace. Expect the total to come down a bit, but the “under” may still be the correct play depending on where it comes in.
NBA Odds: Rockets 115, Thunder 105
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