Houston Rockets vs Oklahoma City Thunder Picks and Prediction for Tuesday October 21 2025

By: Eddie Kline Published 10/21/2025, 12:00 AM ET

Rockets Preview

The 2025-2026 NBA regular season will tip-off on Tuesday night, when the Houston Rockets battle the Oklahoma City Thunder from the Paycom Center. For other NBA action see our NBA Predictions. The Rockets (52-30) ended a four-year playoff drought and were bounced in the first round by the Warriors in seven games. Houston made a huge splash in the offseason by landing Kevin Durant in a trade that sent talented G Jalen Green to Phoenix.

The Rockets have a solid defensive foundation and ranked fourth in defensive efficiency for head coach Ime Udoka. Twenty-three year old C Alperen Sengun (19.1 ppg) was a first-time All-Star and his unselfish style of play will compliment Durant’s unquestioned scoring prowess.

Thunder Preview

The Oklahoma City Thunder are fresh off their first NBA Championship in franchise history and are well positioned to repeat. The Thunder (68-14) led the league in defensive efficiency and limited the opposition to 107.6 points per contest. MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the top scorer (32.7 ppg) in the NBA and shot an effective 51.9 percent from the field.

Fourth-year pro Jalen Williams was Oklahoma City’s second leading scorer (21.6 ppg) and was somewhat inconsistent during the postseason. Talented big-man Chet Holmgren (15.0 ppg) continues to expand his offensive game, while remaining a shot-blocking force for the Thunder.

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Rockets vs Thunder Pick

Houston G Fred VanVleet suffered a torn ACL during a workout and will likely miss the entire season. The Rockets are a squad that is ready to make a push in the competitive Western Conference and have the sixth shortest title odds. Take Houston to make a statement on opening night and upset Oklahoma City. Final Score Prediction, Houston Rockets win 112-107.

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