Despite their ugly loss in Game 1, I still like the Thunder to win this series. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Dennis Schroder shot a combined 5-for-20, so don’t expect to see them both struggle like that again Thursday. Meanwhile, Jeff Green and Ben McLemore shot a combined 13-for-20 off the bench for the Rockets, including 7-for-14 from behind the arc. That will also be difficult to duplicate. I think the Thunder bounce back with a win in Game 2.

My projections see the Thunder bouncing back Thursday and tying their series 1-1 against the Houston Rockets. My numbers see Oklahoma City winning outright more than 55 percent of the time and covering the number nearly 60 percent of the time. Houston torched the nets for 20 3-pointers in the opener, and the cold-shooting Thunder never recovered from an early onslaught. But look for Chris Paul to lead a balanced attack in Game 2 of what should be an ultra-tight series.