The Rockets are hoping to end a 7-game road losing streak tonight as face the Oklahoma City Thunder for a 2nd consecutive game. These two teams just played each other on Sunday in Houston, with the Thunder coming out on top 123-110. We’ve seen two faces of this Houston team this season and the one on the road isn’t nearly as good as the one that plays at Toyota Center. At just 5-22 SU they are one of the worst away teams in the league, that’s the main reason why this team isn’t close to a play-in tournament spot after almost 60 games played. They did beat the Thunder once this season, however that game was played in Houston more than two months ago. OKC is just a bad match-up for this team, the Rockets simply don’t have the personnel to deal with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who torched them for 36 points on Sunday.
Oklahoma City is getting hot just at the right time. With 3 wins after the All-Star break, they’ve now pushed their win streak to 5 straight which has tied them with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the best record in the Western Conference. Together with the Celtics, they’re arguably the best team to come out of the break so far, winning the 3 games by an average of 24.1 points. SGA is selling himself high in the MVP race, only the Joker stands between him and the highest honor an individual player can get in the NBA. Another win tonight against the Rockets would certainly boost SGA’s case, OKC has covered the spread in 10 of the last 12 home games against this team. They’re also one of the healthiest teams in the NBA right now, if they can maintain that going into the postseason, they will be a force to be reckoned with.
