The Houston Rockets are two wins away from launching into the second round. However, that’s still a long way to go for them, as The Oklahoma City Thunder can get it together anytime and make a series out of this. Check out our preview of this game below.
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Betting Preview for the Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder NBA Playoffs Round 1 Game 3 on August 22, 2020
Where: Walt Disney World, Orlando
When: Saturday, August 22, 2020, 6:00 PM ET
Line: Houston Rockets (-3) vs Oklahoma City Thunder (+3) – view all 2020 NBA lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Betting on the Houston Rockets (-3)
Regular Season Record: 44-28
Russell Westbrook remains out with a quad injury but the Rockets are having success without him anyway. And even with James Harden playing not like himself, the Rockets managed to find a way to take home the win in Game 2. Harden scored 21 points on Thursday but shot just 5 for 16 from the field. He made up for some of those misses with a perfect 9-for-9 line from the charity stripe while also dishing out nine assists. The Rockets also got 19 points from Daniel House and 15 from Eric Gordon, who’s the chief beneficiary of Westbrook’s minutes. Gordon was ice cold from deep in the game, though, going kaput on 10 3-point attempts. As a team, however, Houston hit 19 threes on 33.9 percent shooting from the field. Nothing is going to stop Houston from launching 3-pointers, as they can get hot fast. The Rockets lead the league in the playoffs with 19.5 threes per contest.
The Rockets are 2-0 against the spread in the first two games of this series.
Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (+3)
Regular Season Record: 44-28
They say the Thunder will go as far as where Chris Paul takes them. If so, then it’s no wonder Oklahoma City lost to the Rockets again last Thursday, 111-98. Paul only had 14 points on 6-for-15 shooting from the field and record just two assists with as many turnovers. That stinker by Paul came on the same day that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander bounced back nicely from a bad performance of his own in Game 1. After a nine-point output in the series opener, Gilgeous-Alexander fired 31 points on 9-for-17 shooting from the field. The Thunder had control of the game in the first half and even led one point in the second half, 80-77, but they sort of relaxed and that’s a huge mistake for any team, especially in the playoffs and against a James Harden-led team. Paul acknowledged after the game that he should’ve done more. As a leader, he can start reminding his team about ball security, as Oklahoma City had 14 turnovers to just seven by Houston in Game 2. That’s also a reminder for the Thunder to put more defensive pressure on Houston.
The over is 4-2 in the Thunder’s last six games.
Writer’s Prediction
The Thunder win, 114-111.
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