Houston
Don’t look now, but the Rockets have won three straight games. No, that was not a typo. This team really has strung together three wins. Maybe it’s the talk of John Wall deciding he won’t just quit the team since no one will take his absurd contract. More than likely, it’s teams knowing that they stink and just coming in underprepared and getting caught. Despite the win streak, Houston still ranks at the bottom of almost every offensive and defensive category. So what’s the angle here? The difference being that some teams have a polarizing difference between playing at home and on the road, and Houston is one of those teams. All three of these wins came on a three-game home stand. The Rockets actually beat the Thunder earlier in the season, and you guessed it, the game was in Houston. The Rockets are the worst road team in the league. They have lost every road game this season and are 0-11. Not only are they losing games, but they are being blown out by an average of 12.5 points.

Thunder
This team has to be motivated to get this win. You can’t be known as the team that was owned by the team that will likely finish in last place in the whole league. This Thunder club already knows they account for 50% of Houston’s wins this season. The Thunder have a losing record overall and, naturally, a losing record at home, but it’s not as bad as you may think. Despite being eight games under .500, the Thunder are a respectable 4-6 at home and are keeping games close, losing by an average of only 3.5 points. It’s hard for even good teams to win back-to-back games against the same opponent, and the Rockets, simply put, are not a good team.

The road issues alone would be more than enough for me to bet on the Thunder but throw in the pride factor of not losing to the worst team in the league for the third time, and you get a determined and focused Thunder team tonight. Take Oklahoma City and the Points.