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Rockets, Thunder clash in OKC Friday
By: Sam Chase - StatFox
Published: 12/9/2016  at  11:38:00 AM
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HOUSTON ROCKETS (15-7)

at OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER (14-8)

Tip-off: Friday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Line: PK, Total: 225

Russell Westbrook goes for his seventh straight triple-double against James Harden and the Rockets.

The Rockets put up their most points yet this season (which is saying something) and their biggest margin of victory on Wednesday night, stomping the Lakers 134-95 at home (HOU -13.5). The Rockets are now 15-7 on the year and hold the NBA’s second-best record against the spread, also 15-7. They trail the Spurs by 2.5 games in the Southwest Division and currently sit at No. 4 in the Western Conference standings. They made quick work of Los Angeles from the opening tip, putting up 43 points in the first quarter to take a 16-point lead at the end of the frame. Houston is now on the road Friday night in Oklahoma City, where they’ll take on a Thunder team that’s riding a six-game winning streak (6-0 ATS) after defeating the Hawks 102-99 in Atlanta on Monday (OKC +4). The Thunder are 14-8 (12-10 ATS), lead the Jazz by a game in the Northwest Division and are sixth in the west. Unsurprisingly, PG Russell Westbrook led the charge against the Hawks, notching 32 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. The Thunder entered the fourth quarter up 14 and saw it shrink throughout the frame, but the final margin was the only time Atlanta got within three points. Over the last five seasons, home teams with winning records playing only their second game in five days (OKC) are 85-46 ATS against other winning teams when the line is between +3 and -3. In the same time span, however, teams coming off of home wins by 10 points or more (HOU) are 27-6 ATS when the line is between +3 and -3 against opponents coming off of wins as road underdogs.

Averaging 114.3 points per 100 possessions and 97.2 possessions per 48 minutes, the Rockets have a fairly fast-paced offense that is the fourth most efficient in the NBA. SG James Harden (28.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 11.4 APG, 1.5 SPG) can take much of the credit for that. Even by the standards of someone who’s been playing at a near-MVP level for multiple seasons now, 2016 has been a breakout year for Harden. He is fourth in the league in scoring, first in assists (as he is effectively a point guard in coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense) and third among shooting guards in rebounding. He has four triple doubles on the year, second most in the NBA. He has shot 8 of 14 from the floor in each of his last two games, and has only scored fewer than 20 points in a game once this season. SG Eric Gordon (17.0 PPG), new to Houston this year, had his best game yet as a Rocket on Wednesday, hitting a career-high eight three-pointers en route to 26 points. He’s shooting 8.2 threes a game, easily a career high, and maintaining a 41.7 3P% that is the second best of his career. Harden also shoots 8.2 threes per game, and PF Ryan Anderson (12.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG) and SF Trevor Ariza (12.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 2.1 SPG) throw up 6.1 and 7.1, respectively. Collectively, Houston shoots 37 threes per game, most in the league. On November 26 against the Kings, they set an NBA record with 50 three-point attempts. Ariza is one of six players in the league to average more than two steals per game, and C Clint Capela (12.0 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 1.9 BPG) is eighth in the league in blocks.

Oklahoma City plays one of the fastest paces in the league (98.9 possessions per 48 minutes; t-4th in NBA), has an excellent defense (104 points allowed per 100 possessions; 6th) and an average offense (106.5 points per 100 possessions; 15th). Perhaps the only player in the NBA this season that’s having a more impressive statistical year than Harden is Westbrook (31.0 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 11.3 APG, 1.27 SPG). His triple-double against the Hawks was his sixth straight, the most in a row by a player since Michael Jordan recorded a streak of seven in 1989. Wilt Chamberlain set the record of nine straight in the 1967-68 season. Westbrook is second in the league in scoring, second in assists and, remarkably, ninth in rebounds. (He leads point guards in rebounding by quite a bit). He is the only player with more triple-doubles than Harden and, with 11, has nearly three times as many. SG Victor Oladipo (17.0 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 3.0 APG,) is the team’s second-leading scorer and he is putting up career highs with a 46.1 shooting percentage and a 38.6 percent three-point percentage. He’s a combined 3 of 16 from deep in his last two games, but tied a season high with five threes in the game prior. Steven Adams (10.8 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 1.18 SPG) and Enes Kanter (12.8 PPG, 6.0 RPG) split minutes at center and occasionally see the floor together. Adams is known primarily for defense, while Kanter is perhaps known primarily for his awful defense. Despite his efficient scoring numbers (31.8 points per 48 minutes; 18th in NBA), he only sees the floor 19.3 minutes per game.


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