OKC Shoots for Third Straight Upset of Rockets

After overcoming a 15-point deficit to win Game 4, the Thunder look to maintain that momentum and grab their first lead in this series. Russell Westbrook has officially active for the Rockets, who attempted a playoff-record 58 three-pointers on Monday.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

After closing as a 1-point underdog in Game 1, Houston has been a favorite of 2 to 3 points in every game since. Early action has been on the Rockets, betting Houston up to -5 while the total moved from 226 to 227.

Oklahoma City News & Notes

An injury to Steven Adams late in Game 3 may have been a blessing in disguise for the Thunder. With their starting center hampered by a right knee contusion, the Thunder opted to go with a smaller lineup in overtime, then proceeded to outscore the Rockets 15-3 in the extra session en route to a 119-107 win. OKC head coach Billy Donovan relied on that smaller lineup again to close out Game 4 and the Thunder finished the contest on a 44-26 spurt to square the series at 2-2.

OKC’s comeback on Monday marked the league-leading ninth time this season that the Thunder have won a game in which they trailed by 15-plus points. Dennis Schroder sparked the rally with a buzzer-beating three at the end of the third quarter, going on to finish the contest with 30 points.

However, rookie Lu Dort may have been OKC’s unsung hero, bottling up James Harden in the fourth quarter despite playing with five fouls. After missing the series opener due to injury, Dort has helped OKC hold Harden to 13-of-39 shooting from three-point land over the last three games.

Houston News & Notes

As quickly as Houston shot itself into a commanding lead in Game 4, an ice-cold stretch behind the arc allowed that lead to slip away. The Rockets opened the second half by hitting their first eight threes, then missed 21 of their final 26 attempts and managed just 26 points in the final 17:51 of regulation. Houston broke an NBA playoff record with 58 three-point shots, topping the record of 56 the Rockets had set in Game 2.

Russell Westbrook is expected to return to the lineup for Game 5 which is great news for a Houston squad that was struggling with lack of depth. Starters P.J. Tucker, Danuel House Jr. and Harden all played 38-plus minutes on Monday and only one backup (Jeff Green) saw more than eight minutes of action.

Fatigue may help explain why the Rockets have been outscored by 22 points in the second half of the last two games (including OT of Game 3) after outscoring OKC by six points in the first halves. The Thunder bench outscored Houston’s reserves 43-13 in Game 4.

Betting Pick: Thunder +5

Even if the Rockets win this game, I don’t expect it to be by a comfortable margin. No deficit seems to discourage the Thunder, who are 20-10 ATS in their last 30 games as an underdog — including 2-1 in this series.