The season started with an exciting Rockets vs Thunder. Marked by the intensity on both sides and the final failures of Kevin Durant. But a lot has changed since that night on October 21, although the bottom line is that OKC seems to be at least one step above.
Date and time of Rockets vs Thunder
Date: January 15, 2025, early morning of January 16 in Europe.
Time: These are the start times for Rockets vs Thunder depending on the time zone.
| Spain (peninsular), France and Italy | 1:30 |
| Dominican Republic, USA (Boston, New York and Miami), Puerto Rico and Venezuela | 19:30 |
| Mexico (central), USA (Texas and Chicago), El Salvador, Costa Rica and Nicaragua | 18:30 |
| Mexico (Pacific) and USA (Los Angeles) | 16:30 |
| Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay | 21:30 |
| Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Panama | 19:30 |
Site: PAYCOM CORRECT, HELPENT (Oklahoma City
Quintetos del Rockets vs Thunder
| HOUSTON ROCKETS | OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER |
| Amen Thompson | Shai Gilgeous-Alexander |
| Josh Okogie | Cason Wallace |
| Kevin Durant | What is a Dort/Aaron Wiggin. |
| Jabari Smith Jr. | Jalen Williams |
| Alperen Sëngun | Chet Holmgren |
Rockets vs Thunder: best bet
Having removed the thorn of beating the Spurs, the Thunder are once again prohibitive favorites every night. Tonight is no exception against the Rockets in the doldrums. Of course, now they are mortal.
Breaking news for the Rockets: casualties and form
- Casualties: Dorian Finney-Smith y Tari Eason
The Rockets arrive very lacking in confidence and having ended their worst streak of the season against the Chicago Bulls without much fanfare. The team suffers a certain identity crisis in a stretch where it is difficult for them to grow from defense and their attack is increasingly obtuse. His success percentage from the triple has plummeted, narrowing the attack and demanding too much of a KD who has memories of Vietnam with what happened in Phoenix.
Alperen Sengün has returned from injury like that and will have a hard time getting into the rhythm. Especially against a defense as demanding as OKC’s. Only the offensive rebound is safe as an absolutely elite resource for Ime Udoka’s team, but you cannot live forever on dominance on the boards without adding anything else to the equation.
Player to watch: Alperen Sengün
Whatever the bad: one of lime and one of sand in their two return games. Against Sacramento he seemed very lacking in rhythm and, however, against the Bulls he was very good, especially when he was not paired with Nikola Vucevic. Now, his slowness and lack of touch in shooting could be a point for the Thunder to exploit. Hence, seeing a good version of yourself is key for the match to be competitive.
Breaking news for the Thunder: casualties and form
- Casualties: Isaiah Hartenstein
- Doubts: Lu Dort
They are coming off what is possibly the most important victory of the season. Overcoming the one who until now had been his executioner and the promoter of a bad streak that has ended with a historic projection of victories.
In particular, the Thunder found a way to tickle Victor Wembanyama and company to regain their aggressiveness in attack. In defense they were once again a crusher. And in general, the victory against the Spurs means taking a load off mentally. They no longer feel as vulnerable and that can be devastating for the rest of the 29 teams.
Player to watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
His cathedral match against San Antonio for character and improvement. Stephon Castle started defending him wonderfully, but ended up finding his spaces, breaking the defense again and again and reaching out to each defensive help to punch the table. The MVP was recognizable again.
Rockets vs Thunder: matchup history
Second meeting between the two of this season, the first being the one on opening night that was decided in extra time. Last year the Thunder took the duel 3-2 (NBA Cup scores). In general, an even duel in recent years.
Predictions for Rockets vs Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander +26.5 points. Shai has 15 games left to equal Wilt Chamberlain’s record of consecutive games scoring 20 or more points. One of those records that seemed unthinkable to break. It comes grown.
Chet Holmgren at least 1 block. In only 6 of 35 games has Chet gone without adding a block and he has just scored 9 in three games. Of course, none of them could do in the debut against Houston, probably because Sengün stepped on a lot of the outside zone.
Houston Rockets +15.5 offensive rebounds. It is one of the Thunder’s weak points and Houston’s greatest strength.
Where to watch Rockets vs Thunder
The match between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder can be seen in Spain through the NBA League Pass subscription.
At NBAManiacs we help you choose between the best betting houses based on criteria such as trust, bonuses, usability and customer service. With our comparison you will avoid common mistakes when starting to bet.
Keep reading
