What to Watch For in OKC Thunder vs. Houston Rockets

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 8-2 in their last ten games, riding a four game winning streak and sitting six games clear of the No. 2 seeded Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference. This stretch made better by the OKC Thunder breaking the seal against the San Antonio Spurs, getting their first win in four tries against the Western Conference Contenders on Tuesday. Though, this tough slate waits for no one as the Thunder must get back on the hardwood Thursday in Houston.

Back in October, these two sides met for the regular season opener which featured the Oklahoma City Thunder pulling off a double overtime thriller to put a bow on banner night and left the Rockets faithful feeling like real contenders.

Now, the Rockets are in need of a statement win to right the ship from a disappointing stretch of basketball.

What To Watch For

Oklahoma City has seen some timely triples fall over the last two games, shooting 42% from beyond the arc in the second half against Miami and 36% from distance against San Antonio on Tuesday. The Bricktown Ballers have to build on these outings to be able to equalize the front court advantage the Rockets have in this game with Isaiah Hartenstein still sidelined.

Jalen Williams has changed his approach over the last three games, getting downhill at rim including against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs. These Rockets can pack the paint and. deter drivers with the best of them, can the Santa Clara product still find offensive impact in this one?

Reed Sheppard once again is in a roller coaster state showing slight flashes here and there while also seeing inconsistent trust from Houston. On opening night, the Thunder attacked the second year guard which resulted in playing him off the floor. Can Sheppard stand up at all against OKC?

Game Information

Date: Jan. 15
Matchup: OKC Thunder (34-7) vs. Houston Rockets (23-14)
Time: 07:00 PM CT
Location: Toyota Center –– Houston, TX
TV: Amazon and FanDuel Sports OK
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM)

The Oklahoma City Thunder earned a sigh of relief by knocking off the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night in the Paycom Center, snapping a three game skid to the Spurs while in the process building a four game winning streak.

Now, the OKC Thunder take on another south of the red river foe in the Houston Rockets, this time on the road. This is part of a massive week that sees the Bricktown Ballers playing five streak above .500 squads with the Miami Heat and Cleveland Cavaliers looming after this matchup. A rematch of opening night in Oklahoma City where the Thunder need double overtime to beat the Rockets and start 1-0.

Houston is aiming to build some consistency after falling into a messy stretch that features a 6-4 record in the past ten games.

Stay tuned to Thunder on SI for complete coverage of this game and the entire season for the Bricktown Ballers.