Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets: Preview, Where to Watch and Betting Odds

Oklahoma City Thunder are the favorites to advance to the finals of the NBA Cup over Houston Rockets after brushing aside the Dallas Mavericks in the last eight. OKC Thunder and Houston Rockets face off at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on December 15 as the NBA Cup semis move to neutral ground. Houston Rockets needed free throws from Jalen Green in the final seconds to claim a one-point victory over the Golden State Warriors and secure a spot in the semifinals of the in-season NBA tournament. Both teams come into the game in good form bolstered by their strong defense. 

BASKETBALL: NBA Cup Semifinal

Where to Watch: ABC

Venue: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas

Date: 15.12.2024 02:30

OKC Thunder is the highest-seeded team left in the Cup and the fans’ favorite to win the competition. Top of the Western Conference with a 19-5 record, the Thunder have won four straight and were the favorites against the Dallas Mavericks in the previous round. Shai Gilegous-Alexander inspired his team with a 39-point performance as the Thunder ran out 118-104 winners. Gilgeous-Alexander revealed that he was inspired by the Thunder’s loss against Dallas in Western Conference playoffs last Spring. The Thunder has one of the best defenses in the NBA and their setup restricted Luka Dooncic and the Mavericks as OKC Thunder forced 19 turnovers, converting many of them to points. The Dallas Mavericks started the game well with an early 8-0 lead but by the end of the first quarter, the Thunder were in the lead which they never relinquished.

Shai's been cooking defenses all year, you know what I mean? Nothing new. You can tell he's added that 3-point shot to his game, that step-back, which gives him another threat out there for his game that he has now. So again, these young guys, this is going to turn into one of those teams that we're going to see -- just like Memphis -- where down the stretch down into the season, we're going to be competing with them.

Kyrie Irvin

The Houston Rockets came out tops after a topsy-turvy game against the Golden State Warriors in the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup last Wednesday. Down 90-89, the Rockets needed a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds left on the clock to snatch a 91-90 victory at home and seal a first win over the Warriors in fifteen games. Alpreren Sengun led the Rockets with 26 points, however, the game was decided with seconds to go when Jalen Green intercepted a pass after Stephen Curry missed a crucial three-pointer and got fouled by Jonathan Kuminga. He nailed the free throws as Houston took the lead and saw off the game. The Rockets, who are 17-8 this season and on a 2-game winning streak, had led by 14 points towards the end of the game, fell behind, and trailed by six with 90 seconds to go. 

Houston Rockets are 2.75 underdogs on Betway with OKC Thunder 2.90 to win with a (-10.5) handicap. Total over 210 is priced at 1.625 on 1xBet with the under at 2.25 odds. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score over 30.5 points is 1.76 on Bet365 which lists Alperen Sengun at 1.90 to hit under 19.5 points.