Stiles Points: OKC Thunder Look To Reverse Recent History Against Houston Rockets

As the Oklahoma City Thunder cruise into Houston, looking to put the bow on the "Are they contenders?" debate, they are also looking to reverse their recent history against the Rockets franchise.

The OKC Thunder have not won a season series against Houston since the 2020-21 campaign. Their recent struggles with the Rockets collimated in the blueprint being mapped out for defending Josh Giddey.

In their most recent matchup earlier this season, the Thunder were on the ropes from the opening tip, while OKC only ended up losing by nine they got down by as many as 17.

That Space City clash was the first time Giddey was defended exclusively by a center, and it threw off the feng sui of Oklahoma City's offense, only seeing the Thunder put up 101 points in that contest. The former sixth overall pick was an alarming 3-for-11 from the floor, on his way to eight points, six assists, four rebounds, and a plus-minus of minus 11.

Now sitting at 39-17, the OKC Thunder are riding high on a four-game winning streak, while the Rockets have lost seven of their last ten contests, stumbling their way to a 25-31 record.

Oklahoma City will have two cracks in the next three days to reverse course against Houston, but Mark Daigneault will need to have a few tricks up his sleeve to respond to a solid Rockets game plan against the Thunder.

Stiles Points

Kenrich Williams has not attempted a free throw since Dec. 6 against the Houston Rockets. While he is not a high-usage player, this is still a rarity for a prominent feature of the Thunder's rotation.
The NBA MVP conversation is heating up, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves to be the leader in the clubhouse for the honor. While Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have a case for the award, what the OKC Thunder superstar is doing on both ends of the floor with the team's current record should be enough to take home the hardware.
OKC Blue head coach Kameron Woods reflected on his relationship with Gordon Hayward saying "Obviously, we all know who he is...we have a little bit of a relationship it is obviously going to grow, we have passed each other in the hallway a few times and it has been like 'that is a Butler guy,' and I know a little bit about his family and he knows a little bit about me because we have crossed paths a few times. He is a great person first and foremost and will be a great player here."
The schedule makers did Oklahoma City a huge favor in hindsight, knocking out the games against Denver, Minnesota, and the Clippers by Feb. 23 while the others have to duke it out at the top. The Thunder have clinched the tiebreaker over the Clippers and Nuggets and earned a series split with the Timberwolves. In a heated Western Conference race, this leaves OKC with a favorable schedule down the stretch.

Song Of The Day: Houston (Means I'm One Day Closer To You) by Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers.

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