Houston Rockets vs. Thunder predictions: Space City Scoop staff picks

The Houston Rockets will be taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the 2020 playoffs. Our staff predicts what will happen in the series.

While it’s happening much later in the year than anyone could’ve expected, the Houston Rockets are finally tipping off their bid for an NBA championship on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The matchup has the juiciest storylines of all first-round series, given that the two teams exchanged franchise-level players this past offseason.

While the Rockets will be without Russell Westbrook due to a quad injury for at least the first game of the series, Chris Paul should be ready to go to face his former team in Game 1.

Houston has the weapons to tread water without Westbrook but can’t afford to have him out for very long if they want to make noise in the Western Conference Playoffs.

The seeding games from the Orlando campus have been more entertaining than we could’ve imagined, and now all eyes will be on the final 16 teams still alive with a chance at ultimate glory.

ESPN’s panel recently made their picks for the series, with 10 of the 16 analysts choosing the Rockets in six or seven games while the remaining six chose the Thunder in six or seven. The Space City Scoop staff also compiled our thoughts together to give you our thoughts on how we think the series will play out.

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