NBA Playoffs Prediction: Will the Rockets close out the Thunder? 4/25/17
Will the Houston Rockets close out the Oklahoma City Thunder when the two met today at in Game 5 of their NBA Playoffs series at 8PM ET?
GAME 5 ODDS
According to the latest oddsmakers, Houston is the clear favorite at home, as the Rockets are getting odds of -7.5 points against the Thunder in tonight’s NBA Playoffs contest. The over/under total for the game is listed at 222.5 points.
RECORDS
Houston picked up a key win in Game 4 at OKC on Sunday, 113-109, to take a 3-1 lead in the series. The Rockets have covered the spread in all three wins in this series as well. With the win and cover in Game 4, Houston is now 58-28 overall, 32-11 at home and 45-41 against the spread. Oklahoma City comes into this game 48-38 overall, 19-24 on the road and 46-39-1 against the spread.
GAME 4 RECAP
Sunday’s contest was very competitive throughout. The Rockets had to put up 40 points in the fourth to come away with the win. Free throws played a huge role in the game. The Rockets were 28-of-33 at the line while the Thunder were just 18-of-32.
James Harden was held to just 16 points with seven rebounds and eight assists, but the Rockets had 64 bench points. Nene Hilario had a huge game, racking up 28 points with 10 rebounds. Russell Westbrook had another triple-double of 35 points, 14 rebounds and 14 assists. However, his bench had just 22 points.
NBA PLAYOFFS PREDICTION
I expect Oklahoma City to put up a good fight tonight because Westbrook is a determined individual that will give his all. However, it is pretty clear that the team can’t do anything without him. Norris Cole played just nine minutes backing up Westbrook in Game 4, but had a -18 in those nine minutes.
Houston has some supporting players that can help Harden, as proven by Sunday’s win. The Rockets won’t have trouble scoring at home and should complete the sweep. Despite that, I expect it to be a close game due to Westbrook’s effort.
NBA Playoffs Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder +7.5
