Injury Report, Updated Odds (10/9): Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Houston Rockets

The Oklahoma City Thunder takes on the Houston Rockets for their second preseason contest.

May 13, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Cason Wallace (22) warms up before the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder in game four of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Following a successful preseason opener against the San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder will hit the hardwood in the Paycom Center for the first time of the season. To kick the season off in Oklahoma City, the club hosts the Houston Rockets -- another team from the Lone Star State.

After Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort sat the opener -- as they both played in the Olympics this summer -- the team will have everyone available for this contest against the Rockets.

This is a preseason contest and holds no weight on the season, but Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault can get a glimpse of different lineups and how certain players work together before the regular season arrives.

Injury Report

Thunder:

Cason Wallace, active (ankle)

Jaylin Williams, out (knee)

Kenrich Williams, out (knee)

Nikola Topic, out (knee)

Rockets:

Fred VanVleet, out (rest)

Steven Adams, out (rest)

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It's worth noting that Oklahoma City guard Cason Wallace suffered a minor ankle injury in the team's opener. How much he plays -- or whether or not he does at all -- will be something to note during the exhibition contest, especially as the squad plays again tomorrow night.

The Rockets sat a handful of players in their preseason opener, so their injury statuses could certainly change before the contest.

Updated Odds:

While it is an exhibition contest, and key players will only play so much in the game, the Thunder is a 5.5-point favorite. Again, star players won't play too much and plenty of depth will play and lineup switches will be made as the head coaches try to sort their teams.

Evidently, Oklahoma City is the much better squad, though that won't mean too much tonight. These games, across the league, are unpredictable. Assuming the Thunder's starting lineup can have as big of an impact as they did last game, they could get off to a good enough start to come away with the victory.

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