The NBA regular season tips off Tuesday night with Houston facing Oklahoma City at 7:30 PM ET on NBC. SBR's Shane Jackson has his best Rockets vs Thunder player prop bets ready to go:
Amen Thompson Under 21.5 points + assists (-125 via DraftKings)
"Someone on the Rockets will have to step up in the absence of VanVleet this year. The market believes that Amen Thompson is the obvious answer, listing him as the betting favorite by the NBA Most Improved Player odds.
Thompson’s assists prop is up to 5.5 and his points prop is 15.5. He averaged 14.1 points and 3.8 assists per game last year, so this is clearly a reflection of him having the ball more this season as the starting point guard.
I’m skeptical of Thompson’s PG debut against the best defensive team in the league, considering how difficult it is to learn the position. I project roughly 14 points and four assists, which is why I like this Under at 20.5 or better."
Kevin Durant Under 9.5 rebounds + assists (-130 via bet365)
"The Rockets have such absurd length on their roster that Kevin Durant is listed as the starting shooting guard. Let that sink in.
Now that it’s sunk in, my theory is that Durant’s rebounding production will dip while being further from the rim in this big lineup. He averaged six rebounds per game last year, marking his worst average since his rookie campaign.
Rather than pay the -150 price tag on Under 5.5 boards, I prefer the -130 value on this combo prop at bet365,."
Chet Holmgren Over 1.5 assists (-105 via Caesars)
"Given the matchup against Houston’s size, I expect the Thunder to start both of their bigs between Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. That was the case in their final preseason game.
I also don’t expect Williams to play for the Thunder, so there is value in finding his production elsewhere on the team. For my money, Holmgren recording multiple assists is the best way to bet on just that.
Holmgren averaged two assists per game last year, clearing this prop in 17 of his 32 regular-season games."
Amen Thompson Under 21.5 points + assists (-125 via DraftKings)
"Someone on the Rockets will have to step up in the absence of VanVleet this year. The market believes that Amen Thompson is the obvious answer, listing him as the betting favorite by the NBA Most Improved Player odds.
Thompson’s assists prop is up to 5.5 and his points prop is 15.5. He averaged 14.1 points and 3.8 assists per game last year, so this is clearly a reflection of him having the ball more this season as the starting point guard.
I’m skeptical of Thompson’s PG debut against the best defensive team in the league, considering how difficult it is to learn the position. I project roughly 14 points and four assists, which is why I like this Under at 20.5 or better."
Kevin Durant Under 9.5 rebounds + assists (-130 via bet365)
"The Rockets have such absurd length on their roster that Kevin Durant is listed as the starting shooting guard. Let that sink in.
Now that it’s sunk in, my theory is that Durant’s rebounding production will dip while being further from the rim in this big lineup. He averaged six rebounds per game last year, marking his worst average since his rookie campaign.
Rather than pay the -150 price tag on Under 5.5 boards, I prefer the -130 value on this combo prop at bet365,."
Chet Holmgren Over 1.5 assists (-105 via Caesars)
"Given the matchup against Houston’s size, I expect the Thunder to start both of their bigs between Isaiah Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren. That was the case in their final preseason game.
I also don’t expect Williams to play for the Thunder, so there is value in finding his production elsewhere on the team. For my money, Holmgren recording multiple assists is the best way to bet on just that.
Holmgren averaged two assists per game last year, clearing this prop in 17 of his 32 regular-season games."