The Houston Rockets lost to the Western Conference No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, but not in the way most people anticipated. One game after returning to full strength, the Rockets were depleted in Oklahoma City and a matchup between two playoff contenders lost its intrigue — until tipoff.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 51 points and the Oklahoma City Thunder reached the 50-win mark by pulling past the Houston Rockets on Monday at Paycom Center.

Fred VanVleet has already been ruled out of Monday's matchup with the Thunder, but he could miss even more games.

The Houston Rockets received some good news recently as veteran guard Fred VanVleet will be available for tonight game game against the Sacramento Kings.

Newsweek breaks down how to bet on Monday night's Western Conference showdown between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are riding a two game winning streak into Monday night's tilt with the Houston Rockets on the second leg of a back-to-back. The Thunde

The last meeting between the two ended in a Rockets victory to the tune of 119-116. The Rockets are fifth in the West, while the Thunder are first. The Tunder are on a three-game