Oklahoma City Thunder vs Houston Rockets prediction and betting tips - October 22, 2025
Oklahoma City Thunder
Houston Rockets
The new NBA season tips off on October 22, with the opening game featuring the Oklahoma City Thunder taking on the Houston Rockets. Here’s my prediction for the 2025/2026 season opener.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The reigning champions have managed to keep their core intact after a triumphant season. Much will depend on their leader and last season’s MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Of course, Oklahoma is among the top contenders for the title, but repeating as champions will be an incredibly tough challenge.
During the preseason, the team picked up four wins in six games, but these results don’t mean much as players generally don’t go all out in such matchups. Last season, the Thunder dominated the Western Conference with 68 wins and just 14 losses, finishing a whopping 16 wins ahead of their nearest rival.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets had an impressive campaign last season, finishing second in the West with 52 wins out of 82 games. Houston made a major upgrade by adding none other than Kevin Durant—one of the greatest shooters in basketball history—which is a massive boost for the team.
With these changes, the Rockets are now legitimate championship contenders. Don’t forget about Sengun, who led the team last season and shined at EuroBasket as well. In short, Houston is expected to deliver major results. The team went undefeated in the offseason, winning all four of their games, each of which was high-scoring, with no fewer than 235 points tallied per game.
Head-to-head
The teams clashed five times last season—four times in the regular season (splitting the series 2-2) and once in the NBA Cup, which Oklahoma won.
Prediction
It’s always tough to gauge how teams will look at the start of the season. Oklahoma are deservedly slight favorites as they play at home and are the defending champs. This promises to be a battle between two strong and ambitious squads who were the best in the West last year. I expect both sides to put on a high-scoring show—my pick is total points over 229.5.
