The Oklahoma City Thunder travel to open the new season against the new-look Houston Rockets on Wednesday at 8:05 p.m. ET at Toyota Center.
Below, we analyze the Thunder-Rockets NBA betting odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Thunder at Rockets: Betting odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 8:00 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Thunder +260 (bet $100 to win $260) | Rockets -350 (bet $350 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Thunder +7.5 (-110) | Rockets -7.5 (-110)
- Over/Under: 224.5 (O: -115 | U: -105)
Thunder at Rockets: Key Injuries
Thunder
- SF Trevor Ariza (personal) out
- PG Ty Jerome (ankle) questionable
- PG Theo Maledon (personal) questionable
- SF Darius Miller (Achilles’) out
Rockets
- PG Chris Clemons (Achilles’) out
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Thunder at Rockets: Odds, betting lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Rockets 113, Thunder 108
Money line (ML)
The offseason talk for the Rockets (-350) surrounded James Harden, and his desire to be anywhere else. And Houston also shipped Russell Westbrook to Washington for John Wall. So Houston’s starting five will now comprise Harden, Wall, Danuel House, P.J. Tucker and Christian Wood. That’s not exactly an intimidating lineup. They might get it done on their home court, but risking more than three times your potential return, especially in the opener, is ludicrous. AVOID.
Against the spread (ATS)
THUNDER +7.5 (-110) is the play with the points, as the Rockets -7.5 (-110) had just too many distractions, and their offseason deals make them a less talented roster than the one they finished with. OKC is 4-1 ATS in the past five meetings in this series, too. They might not win outright in new coach Mark Daigneault’s debut, but they’ll keep it close.
Over/Under (O/U)
UNDER 224.5 (-110) is a good play in the opener, as these two teams feel each other out. Houston has a lot of gelling to do. It’s uncertain if Wall will have a lot of rust, too, after missing almost two years due to two Achilles’ injuries. The Under is 13-6 in the previous 19 meetings in this series, including four of the past five in Houston, too.
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Also see:
- Rockets show interest in Michael Porter Jr. for potential James Harden trade (Rockets Wire)
- 3 Thunder questions: How positionless will Oklahoma City play? (Thunder Wire)
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