The Houston Rockets finally have liftoff. After sputtering badly to open the season, the Rockets have turned it around of late and are quickly moving up the Western Conference standings. Despite the bumpy start everyone figured Houston would eventually reclaim its rightful spot among the best teams in the NBA and it is beginning to come to fruition. The Rockets will aim to remain hot when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder in an intriguing matchup on Christmas Day.
Oklahoma City has the superior record and is right among the top teams in the West. However, Houston is at home and arguably has the more talented ballclub, so look for the Rockets to be the favorite despite trailing in the standings. The West is bunched up and a win by Houston can continue its trend of catching up to the leaders in NBA odds.
This NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets will be held at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas at 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, December 25th, 2018. The game will be nationally televised on ABC.
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Odds Analysis
The Thunder has a record of 20-10 on the season, which is just a game behind the West-leading Nuggets and tied with the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Like Houston, OKC started the season slowly but turned it around. The Thunder has been excellent at home but only 8-7 on the road so this won’t be an easy game to grab.
The Rockets are up to 16-15 on the year, which doesn’t look particularly impressive but is considering the team was three games under .500 just six games ago. Houston has won nine of its 14 home contests and will look to improve on that the rest of the way.
Oklahoma City has a much better point-differential so there is a school of thought to believing the Thunder should actually be the slight favorites. For those that believe that, OKC is the easy choice both on the spread and the moneyline in NBA odds.
Matchup To Watch
Russell Westbrook vs. James Harden -- The former Oklahoma City teammates have been dueling for years now and the rivalry is at its peak, with both players in their primes and aiming to lead their teams to the NBA title. Westbrook and Harden each have an MVP and are playing extremely well once again in the 2018-19 season.
Harden is averaging 31.6 points, 8.2 assists and 5.7 rebounds per game. He also gets to the free throw line a bunch and is a handful for any defense to cover. Westbrook is averaging 20.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game as he looks to average a triple-double throughout the season.
Westbrook’s scoring might be down but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as he is doing a nice job getting others involved. Westbrook’s biggest issue right now is his free throw shooting and he needs to get that ironed out.
Injury Report
Rockets point guard Chris Paul injured his hamstring on Thursday night against the Miami Heat and did not return to the game. His status is something to watch closely as Paul is the second-best player on Houston behind Harden.
Paul has been injury-prone as a professional and this year is no different. He has missed five games to this point and the team has lost all of those games. Houston also blew a lead against Miami and lost the game after Paul departed. Keep a close eye on his status.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Rockets’ recent hot streak is going to have a lot of bettors backing them in this high-profile game, but it would be smart to go against the grain. Oklahoma City has a very good team with Westbrook and Paul George leading the way and Paul’s injury is the opening it needs. The Thunder should get solid odds to pull off the upset and they are the choice on the moneyline in NBA gambling.
NBA ATS Pick: Oklahoma City Thunder 114, Houston Rockets 111
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