What is going on with the Oklahoma City Thunder?
The same team that ripped through January has dropped five of its last eight games, the wins over that stretch coming against Memphis, Charlotte and Philly – not exactly a murderers’ row of NBA teams.
Some pro basketball observers are quick to point to Russell Westbrook’s return as the time when things started going south for the Thunder. But coinciding with Westbrook’s return was a groin injury to center Kendrick Perkins. Making matters worse, Thabo Sefolosha went down with a calf strain during OKC’s win over Memphis on Feb. 28.
Tonight, the Houston Rockets, one of the hottest teams in the league, come to town. The Thunder (46-17 SU, 34-28-1 ATS) have beaten the Rockets by double digits in the season’s previous two meetings, covering the spread both times.
Line: OKC -4, Total: 217
Missing Perkins and Sefolosha – two of their best defenders – the Thunder gave up 114 points in a loss to the lowly L.A. Lakers on Sunday and 128 in a loss at Phoenix on Thursday.
"We worked on a lot of defensive things that we have to get better at," Brooks told the team's official website. "One of the things I love about our group is that we've always tried to figure out ways to do it together, whether we won a game or are not playing well and losing a game. We still want to figure out how to get better together."
The Rockets are on an eye-opening 17-2 run, covering the number 14 times during that span. But tonight begins about as tough a three-game road swing as they’ll find – Houston plays at Chicago on Thursday and at Miami on Sunday.
"Each game is important from here on out," guard James Harden said. "We're fighting for positioning. We're fighting for home-court advantage, so no matter who we play it's going to be a tough game."
Harden, of course, was traded from OKC to Houston before the 2012-13 season. The Thunder are 8-3 against the Rockets over the last two seasons, including a 4-2 edge in a first-round playoff series. Harden is averaging 24.5 points but shooting 39.6 percent in those contests.
The Linemakers’ lean: This is your prototypical 'buy low, sell high' scenario. While the rating on the Rockets is higher than it’s been all season, the Thunder’s number has sunk over the past few weeks. OKC will get back on track eventually, and tonight’s price is relatively cheap on what we see as a bounce-back game. We’re laying the short number with OKC.
Information from STATS/Associated Press was used in this report.