NBA Betting Odds January 29 – Rockets vs. Thunder, More
HOUSTON ROCKETS (25-23) at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (35-13)
Oklahoma City -9, Total: 222.5
The Thunder will be going for a third straight win when they host James Harden and the Rockets on Friday.
The Rockets had won-and-covered in three straight games before losing 130-99 as 9.5-point road underdogs against the Spurs on Wednesday. Houston was downright awful in that game, shooting 38.4% from the field and allowing San Antonio to shoot 55.6%. The Rockets will need to play a much better game against a Thunder team that is playing very well at the moment.
Oklahoma City comes into this one after having won two straight games and nine of its past 10. The team is on fire offensively, averaging 114.7 PPG over the past six contests.
These teams last met in Houston on Nov. 2 and the Rockets won that game 110-105 as 4.5-point home underdogs. Houston is 5-3 SU in this head-to-head series over the past three seasons, but the teams have split victories ATS. They have also split victories in Oklahoma City in that span, but the Thunder are 3-1 ATS in those games.
One thing favoring the Rockets coming into this one is the fact that the Thunder are just 10-22 ATS after playing three consecutive games as a favorite this season. Houston, however, is just 3-11 ATS after allowing 55 points or more in the first half of two straight games this season.
The Rockets were embarrassed in San Antonio on Wednesday and will now be looking to quickly turn things around with a win over the Thunder on Friday. SG James Harden (27.5 PPG, 6.9 APG, 6.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG) will be looking forward to this one, as Oklahoma City is the team that traded him away back in 2012. Harden lit it up against the Thunder earlier in the season, finishing the game with 37 points, five boards, three steals and two blocks. If he can give the same type of all around effort then the Rockets just may steal this one on the road.
C Dwight Howard (14.4 PPG, 12.0 RPG, 1.6 BPG) will also have to bring it for the Rockets in this one. Oklahoma City does not have a match for Howard’s blend of size and athleticism, so the big man will need to be aggressive offensively and be prepared to protect the rim on the defensive end.
The x-factor for Houston in this game will be SF Trevor Ariza (12.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG). Ariza has been huge offensively for the Rockets lately, averaging 18.0 PPG on 51.7% shooting from the field and 57.9% shooting from three over the past five games. He is knocking down his open looks, but he will really be needed defensively in this game. Ariza will spend a lot of time guarding Kevin Durant and must do his best to contain him.
The Thunder have truly put it together after an uninspiring start to the season and that is because both PG Russell Westbrook (24.1 PPG, 9.8 APG, 7.3 RPG, 2.4 SPG) and SF Kevin Durant (27.0 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 4.6 APG, 1.2 BPG, 1.0 SPG) are playing at an extremely high level.
Over the past five games, Westbrook is averaging 22.6 PPG, 10.8 APG, 8.6 RPG and 2.2 SPG for the Thunder. He had 25 assists in Wednesday’s victory over the Timberwolves and has made more of an effort than ever to get his teammates involved this season. He should be able to dominate whoever guards him in this meeting with the Rockets. With Westbrook focused more on setting up his teammates,
Durant has been doing a bulk of the scoring. He’s averaging 30.6 PPG over the past five games and will likely be in for another big outing against the Rockets on Friday. He had 29 points the last time he faced them.
One guy that Oklahoma City will be hoping can play well in this one is C Enes Kanter (11.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG). Kanter had 23 points, 10 boards and two blocks in the win over Minnesota on Wednesday, but he has been wildly inconsistent this season. The Thunder need the good Kanter to show up on Friday or Dwight Howard will really hurt this team inside.
LOS ANGELES LAKERS (9-39) at LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS (30-16)
The Clippers will be looking to win their third straight game against a Lakers team that has lost eight straight heading into Friday.
The Lakers hosted the Bulls on Thursday night and lost 114-91 as 8.5-point home underdogs. The team was outrebounded 61-47 in the game and that really made a huge difference in determining the outcome. If the Lakers don’t rebound better on Friday then they will likely be losing their ninth straight game.
The Clippers, meanwhile, are coming off of a pair of impressive victories. The team went into Indiana on Tuesday and defeated the Pacers 91-89 and followed it up with an 85-83 victory in Atlanta over the Hawks on Wednesday. The Clippers have forced their opponents to commit 15 or more turnovers in four straight games and will now look to make the Lakers similarly uncomfortable on Friday.
These teams have met nine times in the past three seasons and the Clippers are 8-1 SU and 5-4 ATS in those meetings. And although the teams share the same building, the Clippers are 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS when playing as the “home” team in that span.
One trend worth pointing out in this game is that the Clippers are 9-5 ATS when facing a team with a winning percentage of 25% or less over the past three seasons. SG Kobe Bryant (Rest) and SG Lou Williams (Illness) are questionable for the Lakers in this game and PF Blake Griffin (Hand) remains out indefinitely for the Clippers.
The Lakers have been pathetic defensively this season, allowing 106.4 PPG (28th in NBA). That does not bode well with the Clippers next on the schedule and the team will need to find a way to get stops or it will have no chance of winning on Friday. Offensively, the team has been solid in spurts but lacks consistency.
The one guy that has been playing well on a nightly basis is PF Julius Randle (10.7 PPG, 9.6 RPG). Over the past four games, Randle is averaging 13.3 PPG and 10.5 RPG. He is very tough to stop once he gets a full head of steam going to the basket and will need to put some pressure on the Clippers on Friday. He is, however, a very poor defender and is one of the reasons this Lakers team can’t stop anybody.
PG Jordan Clarkson (15.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 2.5 APG, 1.1 SPG) is going to have to show up in a big way on Friday for the Lakers. Clarkson is averaging 14.8 PPG over the past five games and brings a ton of energy to his team on both ends of the floor. He will likely be matched up with Chris Paul in this one, though, and he must hold his own if the Lakers want to stay competitive.
SG Kobe Bryant (15.7 PPG) is questionable for this game, but if he plays then the Lakers might just keep it close. Bryant is shooting just 34.6% from the field this year, but he brings intensity to the team and is a leader by example for a group of inexperienced players.
The Clippers are Los Angeles’ best team and it’s not even much of a debate. They are a perennial playoff team and have dominated this series recently, but they will definitely get the best from the Lakers on Friday. This may be a one-sided matchup, but it is a rivalry of sorts and the Lakers still want to prove that they are the team to beat in Los Angeles.
Fortunately for the Clippers, PG Chris Paul (18.6 PPG, 9.6 APG, 3.9 RPG, 2.1 SPG) will be on the floor and he is going to be able to dominate this game. Over the past five contests, Paul is averaging 21.2 PPG, 10.0 APG and 2.0 SPG. He has really played well with Griffin out of the lineup and he will likely be very aggressive as a scorer in this one. Paul had 23 points the last time these teams met and he could go for even more on Friday.
C DeAndre Jordan (11.9 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 2.2 BPG) could also have his way with the Lakers in this one. Jordan is averaging 19.0 RPG over the past two contests and the Lakers have struggled to keep their opponents off the glass recently. Jordan is far too athletic for any of the Lakers’ big men to cover him and he should dominate this game.
SG Jamal Crawford (12.5 PPG) is a player to watch out for in this one. He had 21 points against the Hawks on Wednesday and is capable of putting up points in a hurry.
- Carrie Stroup, Gambling911.com Senior Reporter
