Thunder vs. Rockets NBA Odds, NBA Picks + Predictions for NBA Playoffs Game 5

With fear of going down by three games in the series, the Thunder won both of their “home” games to tie up the series with the Rockets, 2-2. Team basketball has outplayed the superstar in James Harden the past two games. Today, someone needs to take the series lead, and the NBA odds make this the closest projected game of the day, making NBA picks very interesting.

The following will find the best NBA odds for Game 5 of the Thunder – Rockets series, break down the game itself and give you some bets to place. Let’s get into some NBA picks and predictions based off NBA Odds from our new OddsShopper tool.


Odds shopping is the best way to make sure you’re finding the best bang for your betting buck. Please enjoy our new, FREE website that shows you what each sports betting odds are in real-time. You can sign up, track your bets, get notifications when a line moves and see how much money your’e making over time. Check it out right HERE.


NBA Picks and Predictions based on NBA Odds Shopping | Thunder vs Rockets | Aug 26

Oklahoma City Thunder (44-28) vs. Houston Rockets (44-28)
Date: Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2020
Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
Venue: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – Kissimmee, FL
Coverage: TNT

The Thunder were so close to going down 0-3 in the series, which is a death sentence. However, Game 3 went to overtime, Harden fouled out and Chris Paul took over. Trailing heading into the fourth quarter of Game 4, Oklahoma City again relied on a strong finish to win the game.

It’s not really fair to say they are playing more team basketball than Houston, as both teams are essentially using an eight-man rotation. Scoring isn’t more balanced, as the Thunder had four players in double digits, compared to six for the Rockets. Simply, it feels like the Thunder have multiple players that can win possessions on their own, whereas the Rockets rely heavily on Harden to score himself or set up his teammates.

Harden scored 32 points and had 15 assists last game. That means he was directly involved on well over half of Houston’s 114 points. While he is one of the best offensive players on the planet, this team misses Russell Westbrook, who continues to be sidelined with a quad injury. Right now, if Harden has an off possession, the entire team does. If, say, Dennis Schroder has an off possession for the Thunder, there are two or three players that can pick up the slack.

That is the difference between these two teams and why it has the closest spread of the day. Will Harden do enough, or will he have too many off possessions?

thunder vs rockets nba picks and odds

NBA Picks and Predictions: Thunder vs. Rockets NBA Odds Shopping

Using Awesemo’s OddsShopper tool, we can easily compare the NBA odds for Thunder vs Rockets across the major sports books. The odds expressed are from 11:50 a.m. ET on August 26th, so make sure to check out the OddsShopper tool yourself to get the most up to date NBA odds.

Spread

Thunder +3.5 (-109) — SugarHouse, BetRivers, DraftKings

Rockets -3.5 (-110) — BetMGM, FanDuel, PointsBet

Point Total

Over: 223.5 (-110) — BetMGM

Under: 224.5 (-109) — SugarHouse, BetRivers, DraftKings

Thunder vs. Rockets NBA Betting Trends

  • Oklahoma City leads the season series with Houston, 4-3.
  • The total has hit the over in six of Oklahoma City’s last eight games.
  • Oklahoma City is 7-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last nine games against Houston.
  • Houston is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games.
  • The total has hit the over in four of Houston’s last six games against Western Conference opponents.

Thunder vs. Rockets NBA Picks + Prop Bets

Danuel House – Points: Over 12.5 (-139)

These odds are taken from DraftKings. You can head over to FanDuel to get over 13.5 points (-110), which I also side behind. After a lackluster Game 1, House has stepped up his game. He has put up double-digit shots in each of the last three games, averaging 18.3 points over this stretch. His lowest point output was 15 points. House will get plenty of open looks tonight, as the Thunder will continue to play the same type of defense that has worked for them.

Chris Paul – Assists: Under 6.5 (-122)

Even though Paul is the straw that stirs the drink for the Thunder, he is not a high-assist guy. He has totaled just 10 assists over the past three games, including just eight total in their two wins. Look for him to be more of a scorer than a facilitator.

Eric Gordon – Made 3’s: Over 2.5 (-120)

Gordon has made over 2.5 threes just once in this series, which was last game. However, he has been jacking up long range shots early and often. Gordon has totaled 28 3-point attempts over the past three games, and I expect him to continue doing it tonight. The game should be close and Harden will get him plenty of open looks. Gordon just needs to knock them down as he did last time out.

James Harden – Made 3’s: Over 0.5 (-3335)

DraftKings Sportsbook has been offering these props that are essentially free money lately. Like I continue to say, are they lucrative? No, but I’ll take free money any day. Harden has averaged 4.25 made 3’s per game this series.


Need more sports betting information? Check out the Awesemo betting home page.


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Author
Zach Brunner is the founder of FlurrySports and a featured sports betting and fantasy sports expert for numerous outlets. With an education in business, coaching and history education, he has taken a little bit from all of his experiences to give him a well-rounded, unique point of view in the sports industry. Follow him on Twitter @FantasyFlurry to keep up with other things he is doing.

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