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Rockets vs. Thunder NBA Player Prop Picks & Odds: NBA Cup

Shane Jackson

Last Updated: December 14, 2024 12:50 PM EST • 2 min 35 sec read.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comes down with a rebound against the Toronto Raptors as we look at our Rockets vs. Thunder NBA Player Prop Picks.
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander comes down with a rebound against the Toronto Raptors. Photo by John E. Sokolowski/Imagn Images.

The Oklahoma City Thunder (19-5) will face the Houston Rockets (17-8) at 8:30 p.m. ET in T-Mobile Arena from Las Vegas for the nightcap of Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal doubleheader.

The Thunder are laying 5.5 points on Saturday and are favored in the NBA Cup odds as the best team left in this event. They also sit second in the NBA championship odds.

Meanwhile, the Rockets are coming off a 91-90 win over the Golden State Warriors and hope to establish themselves as contenders this year.

Our Rockets vs. Thunder NBA player prop predictions set the stage for this Western Conference battle.

Rockets vs. Thunder player prop picks today

Pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale; odds via our best NBA betting sites and subject to change.

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Under 31.5 points (-120 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Over 5.5 assists (+100 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
  • Fred VanVleet Over 5.5 assists (-115 via DraftKings) ⭐⭐⭐

See our NBA player prop odds tool for the latest odds at the best legal sportsbooks in your region.

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Best Rockets vs. Thunder prop predictions

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop pick: Under 31.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -120 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 54.55%

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The market believes this matchup will be a defensive battle. The total opened at 214.5 and was pushed down to as low as 212.5. With that in mind, this points prop is too high for Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The two-time All-Star, who sits second in the NBA MVP odds, scored 39 points against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. He’s averaging 30.2 points per game this season. However, the Rockets deserve some respect, as they're second in defensive rating behind the Thunder.

I project closer to 29 points for SGA, suggesting a decent edge on this Under. DraftKings offers a discount, as this scoring prop is as low as 30.5 through most of our best sportsbooks.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander prop pick: Over 5.5 assists ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: +100 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 50%

Another factor in fading Gilgeous-Alexander as a scorer is that I’m backing him as a facilitator against the Rockets. He hasn’t cleared this assist prop in three straight games, but underlying trends are in his favor entering tonight.

Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 12.2 potential assists and 43.5 passes made per game over the last two weeks. He’s averaged 5.8 assists per contest over that span, suggesting this +100 price is a bargain.

This is my favorite player prop for tonight’s matchup, especially since a $10 bet offers a $10 payout.

Fred VanVleet prop pick: Over 5.5 assists ⭐⭐⭐

Best odds: -115 via DraftKings | Implied probability: 53.49%

Let’s close this out with a bet on Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet, who could play a pivotal role on Saturday. The veteran has been guiding this fun, young Rockets team while averaging 5.9 assists per game. He dished out seven dimes against the Warriors.

I anticipate a similar showing for VanVleet against the Thunder’s top-ranked defense. He leads the Rockets in passes made (49.5) while averaging 8.5 potential assists in the two games against Oklahoma City this year.

Rockets vs. Thunder live odds & info

  • When: Saturday, Dec. 14
  • Tipoff: 8:30 p.m. ET
  • Where: T-Mobile Arena (Las Vegas)
  • How to watch: TNT
  • Favorite: Thunder -5.5 (-110 via BetMGM)

Rockets vs. Thunder injuries

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Written By:
Shane Jackson
Shane Jackson has been writing for Sportsbook Review since 2022, though his passion for sports, writing, and betting runs much longer than that. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a journalism degree in 2017 and has been covering sports ever since, working for MLB.com, Manhattan Mercury, Lawrence Journal-World, WynnBET, Bet Chicago Sports, BetNOLA, and BetMGM. Jackson cares about creating quality sports betting content above all else. He uses a mixture of models, information, film, analysis, and a top-down approach to locate every best bet shared for SBR. He never gives out a pick that he wouldn’t be willing to spend his own money on. Jackson is focused on finding +EV bets on a daily basis for a variety of sports such as NCAAF, NCAAB, NFL, NBA, WNBA, and MLB. He usually bets on props but is willing to wager on a spread or total when there is an edge. Don’t ask him how many bets he has placed on a typical college football Saturday. Jackson doesn’t care if you follow him on social media, but his Twitter account has info on how you can follow his bets through multiple third-party platforms. He just wants you to read all the great work from the SBR team.