Only two teams in the NBA were a worse home bet than the Warriors this season: The New York Knicks and the Chicago Bulls. Ouch. However, 5.5 points is tied for the second-lowest spread they’ve faced at Oracle Arena, and is the lowest since November 8 vs Milwaukee. With that said, the champs were just 2-4-1 ATS as a favorite of seven points or fewer this year. The total for Game 1 is 224.5.
Rockets vs Warriors Game Center
Standout Stats
- Houston went 3-1 SU and ATS vs Golden State this season, including winning both games at Oracle Arena.
- The Rockets are 18-24-1 ATS on the road. They went 1-1 SU and ATS as the visitor in Round 1.
- The Warriors went 3-3 ATS in Round 1 and did not cover the spread in consecutive games. However, they did have a +9.8 point differential vs the Clippers, so we do need to take the Warriors’ spread records with a grain of salt.
- Kevin Durant leads the playoffs with 35 points per game, including 45 and 50 points respectively in Game 5 and 6 vs the Clippers. So, rumors of him departing the team aren’t affecting his output.
- Houston and Golden State are No. 1 and No. 2 in three-pointers made per game. The Rockets knocked down 15.4 vs Utah while the Warriors hit 12.8 vs LA. Interestingly, the Rockets held Utah to 26.3 percent from outside – the best three-point defense in Round 1.
- Houston relies on the outside shot for 43.2 percent of its points. The Clippers shot 36.3 percent from outside vs Golden State in Round 1. You can expect Houston to exploit this in Round 2.
My Best Bet for Rockets vs Warriors
OVER 224.5
With two teams that love to fire the long shot, I’m ok with backing the OVER in this game. We’ve got some of the best offensive players in the entire NBA on the same floor and that usually leads to them raising each other’s performance.
This series should be fun to watch.
Houston is 3-1 SU and ATS vs Golden State this season. away Kevin Durant leads all playoff scorers at 35 points per game. home Golden State is 2-4-1 ATS as a home favorite of seven points or fewer this year. home
