The Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder hook up for Game 4 of their best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series Monday in the Lake Buena Vista, Fla., bubble for a 4 p.m. ET tip-off (on TNT). We analyze the Rockets-Thunder NBA betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Series: Houston leads 2-1.
Game 3: Oklahoma City rallied late before winning 119-107 in overtime Saturday.
Rockets vs. Thunder: Key injuries
Rockets
- PF Luc Mbah a Moute (knee) out
- PG Russell Westbrook (quadriceps) out
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Rockets vs. Thunder: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated at 7:30 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Rockets 112, Thunder 104
Moneyline (ML)
The Thunder (+135) pulled a rabbit out of a hat in Game 3, overcoming a 5-point deficit in the final minute of regulation to eventually win in overtime. Their luck runs out in Game 4. But instead of paying the juice on the Rockets ML (-162), the better play is the spread. PASS on any moneyline action.
New to sports betting? Every winning $1.62 bet on the Rockets ML will profit $1. A $1 winning bet on the Thunder profits $1.35.
- Rockets Wire – The latest Houston coverage
- Thunder Wire – The latest OKC coverage
- HoopsHype – The latest NBA coverage
Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The ROCKETS -3.5 (-110) are the STRONGEST PLAY. SG James Harden is too good to continue struggling from 3-point land. While he scored 38 points in Game 3, he was just 3-for-13 behind the arc. He was even worse from deep in Game 2, hitting only 2 of 11. Thunder SG Luguentz Dort has done an amazing job of defending Harden’s long-range shooting attack so far in this series, but the NBA scoring champ – for the third season in a row – will figure it out.
Plus, Harden should be more motivated than usual in this one after the Rockets let Game 3 slip away. Expect the Rockets star to celebrate his 31st birthday – which is Wednesday – a little early with an All-Star performance in Game 4.
Over/Under (O/U)
The UNDER 220.5 (-110) is the way to go. Missing Westbrook’s 27.2 points per game is huge. Since the restart and excluding overtime in Game 3 – where the Rockets scored only 3 points anyway – Houston is averaging 111.4 points in games when Westbrook sits. That spells Under to me.
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| Johnny’s 2019-20 NBA record | 31-24-2 |
| 2020 overall record (all sports) | 75-43-2 |
| Strongest plays (all sports) | 37-17 |
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