Houston Rockets sv. Oklahoma City Thunder Game 3 Preview
Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena – Oklahoma City, OK
When: Friday, April 21, 2017 – 10:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Rockets (+3) vs. Oklahoma City Thunder (-3) – total: 224.0 – view all NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
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Betting on the Houston Rockets (+130)
The Rockets’ surging 115-111 win on Wednesday to take a 2-0 series lead was not without some trouble. They had to shake off a rugged start, where they gave up 68 first-half points to the Thunder.
The offense, of course, was present, as James Harden scored 35, and bench players Eric Gordon and Lou Williams combined for 43 points and six threes. The defense, though far from being the best in the league, stepped up well in the second half and allowed 25 less points than they did prior. Pesky guard Patrick Beverley and athletic big Clint Capela led that pack, with the latter swatting four shots.
One good thing that came with the hard-fought victory, aside from getting leverage, is that they are getting more and more comfortable dealing with Russell Westbrook’s inevitable offensive onslaught. The Rockets already know that whether they lock him up good, like they did in the opener (6-for-23 shooting), or they let him loose for a boatload of points (51 points in Game 2), they will still come out on top.
What’s left is the test of adjusting to the atmosphere of a playoff game on the road, especially since this will be their first time as a unit playing in such environment. For Harden, who joins Westbrook in being the true headliners of the MVP race, this will be an excellent opportunity to strengthen his campaign.
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (-150)
Russell Westbrook showed in Game 2 why he was a favorite to win this year’s MVP plum, both in good and bad reasons.
He tallied 51 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists – the highest point total of any triple-double in postseason history – but also took an eye-popping 18 shots in the fourth quarter (4-for-18), seven more than what all of his teammates did (3-for-11). There was even a stretch where the team’s 10-plus straight attempts came from him.
It’s confusing: is it because no other player is willing to take shots or is it Westbrook not trusting his teammates enough?
Such has been a trend all season long, so we can’t be sure if it will change in Game 3. They will certainly come out with a lot of intensity, feeding off the energy of the home crowd, with Westbrook posting gaudy numbers. However, since there’s tendency from his supporting cast to be passive during crucial moments, another second-half drop-off is not that unlikely.
The Thunder split their home games with the Rockets during the season, both of which were decided by three points or less. Westbrook averaged 28.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, and 22.5 shots per game in those pair of contests (37.7 percent shooting).
Writer’s Prediction
The Rockets (-3) have another come-from-behind win, 106-101.
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