Thunder Gameday: Battle of Lottery Teams in Houston
After they both had top three picks in the recent draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets are still amidst rebuilds. They'll face off tonight in Houston as both teams will be on the second night of a back-to-back.
Oklahoma City hosted the Chicago Bulls on Friday night while the Rockets matched up with the Atlanta Hawks.
Which team can overcome fatigue and pull off the win tonight?
Alonzo Adams / USA TODAY Sports
ODDS:
The Thunder enter the day as 2.5-point favorites against the Rockets, and the total over/under is 233 points.
KEYS TO THE GAME:
Two of the best players on the floor tonight will be Jalen Green and Josh Giddey, who were both taken early in the lottery of the 2021 NBA Draft. Both are outstanding young guards that impact the game in different ways.
From there, the matchup of Alperen Sengun and Aleksej Pokusevski will be fascinating to follow. They're very different players, but will presumably go back-and-forth during the flow of the game tonight. Sengun is more of a power player, while Pokusevski uses his slender frame to impact the game on both ends.
Regardless, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will likely be the absolute best player on the floor tonight. He's been one of top players in the NBA this season and could easily go for 40 points on a defense as poor as Houston's.
Another storyline to follow in this game will be the play of rookie Jabari Smith Jr., who the Thunder passed on in the 2022 NBA Draft to take Chet Holmgren. He's gotten off to a slow start, but Smith is starting to figure things out.
Overall, Oklahoma City has been the better team all year but anything can happen in these types of games.
RECORDS:
Oklahoma City Thunder (8-11) vs. Houston Rockets (4-14)
WHEN:
Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022 at 7:00 PM CT
LOCATION:
Toyota Center - Houston, TX
TV/RADIO:
Bally Sports Oklahoma, NBA League Pass, 98.1 FM The Sports Animal
FINAL WORD:
This will be the Thunder’s final contest of the week. After completing this second night of a back-to-back, Oklahoma City will have a day off before heading to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans Monday.
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