NBA Odds - Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets Live Betting Preview

There's still a chance the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets will meet each other in the first round of the NBA playoffs. At this point, the Rockets have a lot more to play for with their playoff lives still hanging in the balance, and live bettors will want to remember that come Sunday's showdown between these rivals in the Lone Star State.

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SCHEDULING

OKC is pretty much locked into the No. 3 slot in the West at this point, and we wonder if a lackluster 88-82 loss to Detroit on Tuesday was indicative of that. This is the start of a four-game roadie which won't have much consequence to it, and it comes on the heels of a couple off-days in a row.

Houston is in a much dire spot, and live bettors should be encouraged by wins against Toronto and Cleveland in recent days. The Rockets enter play on Thursday night tied with Utah and Dallas for the 7-8-9 slots in the West. Common logic suggests that two of the three will get in, though Portland is nowhere near safe yet with a two-game edge on all three teams.

KEY MATCHUP

When James Harden is on his game, he's still one of the best players in the NBA, and the matchup between he and Russell Westbrook in this one should be a treat to watch.

Harden has really taken over these last several games. Not only has he averaged 28.8 points per game in his last eight, but he's also averaged 9.4 assists and 6.8 boards per game in that run, too.

Westbrook hasn't been playing elite level defense of late, and we wonder if Harden is set to take advantage of that. He had 24 points, 16 assist, seven rebounds and four steals when these two met a couple weeks ago in the Sooner State, and he had moments in that game where he just flat out dominated.

If Harden does that again in this one, live bettors can expect yet another cover, especially knowing that Houston is likely to be lined as an underdog.

KEY STATS & TRENDS

Perhaps the Thunder should be given a pass for that loss in Detroit. The team had won eight games prior, averaging 117.3 points per game in the process. Kevin Durant didn't play in that game against the Pistons either for rest, but it's clear that Billy Donovan is starting to limit the minutes of both Thunder superstars in the late stages of the regular season.

Live bettors should still be bothered by Houston's defense. Sure, Harden is getting steals, but it's not like he's playing top-flight 'D'. There have been a few good defensive games in the bunch, but the Rockets have still allowed an average of 106.9 points per game in their last eight, including allowing this Oklahoma City team to drop 111 in the last clash on March 22.

Still, even with all the bad defense, the Rockets have played to the under in five of their last six games.

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Don't miss out on getting paid because you couldn't bet. Click here, and deposit at BookMaker now! The matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets will come off the board at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, April 3, 2016 at the Toyota Center. Catch the action live nationally on ABC.