The Thunder head to Houston on Saturday night trying to steady themselves after a rough trip to Dallas, but they’ll have to do it with a stripped-down lineup.
OKC meets the Rockets at 7:30 p.m. CT at Toyota Center, with both teams coming off losses to the Mavericks.
The Thunder dropped a 120-96 decision on the road Wednesday and enter at 4-1. Houston, now 5-1, fell 116-111 in Dallas on Friday.
For fans looking to catch the game, it will air on KSBI/KWTV OKC and NBA TV. It can also be streamed through Thunder+ and Fubo, which offers a free trial.
The injury report is the big story for Oklahoma City. The Thunder are without Alex Caruso, Chet Holmgren, Thomas Sorber, Nikola Topić, Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams. That leaves OKC missing multiple starters and one of its key bench pieces as well.
Justin Martinez is picking Houston 118, OKC 94, pointing to the Thunder’s short-handed roster and the Rockets’ strong start. He wrote: "OKC will be without three starters in Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams and Cason Wallace.
And even Alex Caruso, its biggest spark plug off the bench, remains out. That leaves it extremely short-handed entering a game against Houston, which is 5-1 to start this season.
I'm going with the Rockets in this one."
Houston has not yet submitted its injury update.
The projected Thunder starters are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jared McCain, Ajay Mitchell, Kenrich Williams and Isaiah Hartenstein. Houston’s projected starting five is Reed Sheppard, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengun.
Odds were not available from BetMGM as of Friday.
In Other News...
Mark Daigneault Faces A Thunder Test Fans Never Wanted
The Thunder are heading into the 2026-27 season with a roster hit hard by injuries to several key pieces, a stretch no contender wants to face this early. Jalen Williams, Cason Wallace and Chet Holmgren all factor heavily into Oklahoma Citys plans, and their absences immediately change the look and depth of a team built to stay among the leagues best.
Mark Daigneault has already framed the challenge as one of response as much as replacement, stressing the need for the group to keep its habits intact while others step into larger roles. For a team that has spent the past few years building around continuity and discipline, the next stretch will say plenty about how well that identity holds up when the margin for error suddenly gets a lot smaller. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Injury Crisis Could Force A Trade Call Sooner Than Expected
The Thunders depth is being tested in a hurry, and the timing could hardly be worse. Chet Holmgren is out, Jalen Williams is sidelined and Cason Wallace is also unavailable, leaving Oklahoma City thinner on both ends of the floor than it expected to be this early in the season. For a team built around versatility, defense and lineup flexibility, losing that much at once changes the feel of everything.
What makes the situation more urgent is that the front office may not be able to wait for the roster to heal itself. With key rotation pieces missing, Oklahoma City has to at least consider whether outside help is needed to steady the defense and keep the offense from bogging down. The trade market is already part of the conversation, and the Thunder may find themselves pushed toward a call sooner than they planned. [Read more 🡒]
Warriors Suddenly Look Like A Team To Watch In Trade Talks
The early part of the 2026-27 season has already put the Thunder in a difficult spot, with Jalen Williams among the NBA All-Stars whose injuries have changed the conversation around the league. Williams was hurt in the same game as another key Oklahoma City piece, and the loss of a high-level wing presence has only sharpened the focus on how front offices will react when the trade market starts to heat up.
For Oklahoma City, the timing matters as much as the injury itself. The Thunder have long been viewed as a team with flexibility and ambition, but now they are being discussed in the same breath as other affected contenders like Minnesota, where Anthony Edwards is also expected to miss significant time. When a season opens with that kind of disruption, the next move can define whether a team simply absorbs the blow or tries to reshape its path before the deadline. [Read more 🡒]