Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Pick & Prediction DECEMBER 14th 2024

Stadium: Citizens Business Bank Arena Ontario
Logo Houston Rockets
VS
Logo Oklahoma City Thunder
213.5
OPENER
-5.5
213o -108
CURRENT
-5 -107
+200
MONEYLINE
-240
96
SCORE
111

Preview and Prediction

LAS VEGAS The matchup between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder may not have been the most highly anticipated NBA Cup semifinal, but it could provide valuable insight into the future of the Western Conference.

After dominating the league and earning the No. 1 seed in the West last season, the Thunder are now accustomed to being the team to beat. Despite the absence of Chet Holmgren, who has been out for over a month with a hip injury, they remain the deepest and most formidable team in the conference.

For most teams, the phrase "next man up" is merely wishful thinking. But with a star player like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, it's simply expected for the Thunder. Their depth allows them to seamlessly fill in for any missing pieces.

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Even without Holmgren, the Thunder have an impressive record of 11-3 and currently hold the top spot in the West with a record of 19-5. They have also secured their spot in the NBA Cup semifinals as the top seed in the West draw, with a 3-1 record in group play. Their latest victory was a 118-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, earning them a spot in Las Vegas.

Gilgeous-Alexander has his sights set on winning the NBA Cup. He understands the importance of winning at every level, from AAU tournaments as a kid to the NCAA Tournament in college. He and his teammates are always striving for victory.

Gilgeous-Alexander is currently averaging 30.2 points and 6.3 assists per game, ranking fourth in the league in scoring. Jalen Williams has also emerged as a key player for the Thunder, averaging 21.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game. Isaiah Hartenstein has stepped up in Holmgren's absence, averaging 11.6 points and 12.8 rebounds per game since making his Thunder debut on November 20th.

The Rockets find themselves in a similar position to last season's Thunder, but their rise has been even more surprising. Despite the struggles of their young duo, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, the Rockets have a record of 17-8 and are currently second in the West. Green leads the team with an average of 19.2 points per game, while Sengun averages 18.8 points and 10.6 rebounds.

The Rockets secured the No. 2 seed in the West for the knockout stage with a 3-1 record in the group stage. They advanced to Las Vegas with a controversial 91-90 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, thanks to a game-winning free throw by Green with 3.5 seconds remaining.

Saturday's semifinal matchup will be a chance for the Rockets to prove themselves defensively against the Thunder, who are known for their strong defense. Rockets coach Ime Udoka believes his team and the Thunder are the top two defensive teams in the league, and he is looking forward to making some noise in the semifinals.

"It's an honor to be here, and we feel like we did well in our group to get here," Udoka said. "Now we just want to make some more noise while we're here."

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Will Despart,

PREDICTION
Houston Rockets
104
110
Oklahoma City Thunder

Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Recap DEC 14TH 2024

LAS VEGAS -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 32 points and grabbed eight rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched a berth in the NBA Cup final with a 111-96 win over the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

Oklahoma City will attempt to secure the in-season tournament crown against the Milwaukee Bucks in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Isaiah Hartenstein added 21 points on 9-of-12 shooting to go along with eight rebounds for the Thunder, while Jalen Williams supplied 20 points, five boards and five assists.

Houston was within two, 68-66, after Dillon Brooks converted a layup with 2:12 to go in the third quarter. Oklahoma City extended its lead to 75-69 by the end of the frame, though, then took over in the fourth.

The Thunder went on a 17-10 run over the first 5:59 of the final period, going up 92-79 when Williams pulled up for a jumper. Fred VanVleet eventually had the Rockets' deficit down to 101-93 after drilling a 3-pointer with 2:13 to go, but Oklahoma City answered with the next eight points to put the game away.

Amen Thompson came off the bench to post a team-high 19 points and seven rebounds for Houston, which also got 14 points apiece from Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. Alperen Sengun chipped in 13 points, but VanVleet was held to eight and went just 3-for-15 from the floor.

A sloppy first half in which neither team shot above 34 percent from the field ended with the Rockets ahead 42-41. Houston was up by six before Gilgeous-Alexander scored the final five points of the second quarter.

The first-half struggles started in the first quarter, when Oklahoma City made 7 of 23 shots (30.4 percent) and the Rockets made 6 of 24 (25 percent). Houston grabbed a 16-9 lead just over 8 1/2 minutes into the game and had a 20-18 edge after 12 minutes of action.

For the game, the Thunder outshot the Rockets 45 percent to 36.5 percent overall.

--Will Despart,