Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Predictions, Picks and NBA Preview – January 29, 2016

The Houston Rockets were on the wrong end of a 30-point beatdown by the West’s No. 2 seed, the San Antonio Spurs, on Wednesday. Things won’t get much easier for last year’s fallen Western Conference finalists as they take on the No. 3 seed Oklahoma City Thunder, who are quietly on a very impressive run.

Read on below for a complete breakdown of this Western Conference clash. Meanwhile, check out some Thursday night hoops action with our previews of the Kings vs. Pelicans and Hawks vs. Pacers.

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Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Preview

Where: Chesapeake Energy Arena, Oklahoma City

When: Friday, January 29, 8:00 PM ET

Line: Houston Rockets at Oklahoma City Thunder – view all NBA lines

Betting on the Houston Rockets (25-23)

The Rockets’ mini-three-game win streak ended in emphatic fashion as they went down 130-99 to the San Antonio Spurs. But to be fair to Houston, it was always going to be an uphill battle to face a Spurs team at home (where they’re still unbeaten this season) and coming off their 31-point loss to the Warriors.

On the bright side for the Rockets, Dwight Howard had made his return after missing the last three games with an ankle problem. Howard had been having by far his best month of the season prior to that injury, with averages of 17.2 points (on 60 percent shooting) and 13.3 rebounds in January.

Trevor Ariza has also been lighting it up this month. He’s averaging 15 points on 48 percent shooting from the field and a sizzling 50 percent from beyond the arc. He was instrumental in the Rockets’ recent three-game winning streak as he averaged 26 points and over six made threes per game.

Meanwhile, James Harden will be eagerly anticipating another meeting with his old team. The Beard has averaged an incredible 33.4 points in his last five meetings with the Thunder, all of which have resulted in Rocket wins.

If Harden can get enough help from Howard and Ariza, the Rockets should have more than enough firepower to make it six in a row.

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Betting on the Oklahoma City Thunder (35-13)

With the Warriors and Spurs soaking up all the headlines, hardly anyone is talking about the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC has gone 9-1 in its last 10 games to consolidate its place as the No. 3 team in the West.

The Thunder have had their share of close games during this recent road-heavy stretch of their schedule, though. Their last three wins (against the Mavs, Knicks and Timberwolves) have come by only six points or fewer. They also lost to the Brooklyn Nets by 10, and are 0-4 ATS in their last four games.

But they’ll be back in the friendly confines of Chesapeake Energy Arena tonight, where they’ve gone a very impressive 5-0 SU/ATS in their last five thanks to a 19-point average margin of victory.

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have simply been playing lights-out ball over the last 10 games. Durant is averaging nearly 29 points, 8.6 rebounds and five assists, while Westbrook is putting up a 19-8-11. Their offensive rating of 110.7 over that 10-game stretch is topped only by the Warriors and Spurs.

The Thunder are still far from a lockdown defensive unit, but they should be able to put enough points up against a Rockets team that’s way down in 24th in defensive efficiency on the season.

Writer’s Prediction

Harden’s heroics aren’t enough as Durant and Westbrook lead the Thunder to a 110-102 win.

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