NBA: Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Houston Rockets will try to inflict the Golden State Warriors another defeat following last night’s shock. GSW lost at home to the injury-massacred Indiana Pacers, which is one of the biggest surprises in the previous few of their events. It seems that Steve Kerr’s unit wasn’t prepared for this match and that they underestimated the Pacers, who had several of their players ruled out. The Rockets are playing well again, despite being on a road trip through the West. We’ve seen them win in three of four away contests.

Preview

Houston Rockets (14-26, +600) defeated San Antonio in their first stop on tour throughout the West. After that, they lost to the Kings in Sacramento but avenged that defeat before beating the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake two nights ago, 116-111.

The contest at Vivint Smart Home Center was a back and forth battle, but eventually, the Rockets showed huge resilience, ending up on top, after rebuffing the Jazz’s final push. Three-pointers were the main reason for that, as Houston made 22 in 45 attempts, killing Utah’s morale.

Garrison Mathews came off the bench to drop 23 points and five threes. He was something the hosts didn’t expect. Jae’Sean Tate had 18 points, while Christian Wood had another triple-double with 13 points and 15 boards. Eric Gordon scored 16, Kevin Porter Jr. 15, and Jalen Green didn’t have his night against Donovan Mitchell, contributing with only seven points.

Golden State Warriors (32-13, -450) suffered a nasty slap in the face. Why? Well, first of all, nobody expected to see them losing to the crippled Pacers (121-117 OT), and on the other side, they lost the pace with the Suns, who won in Dallas. It is a big deal due to their No.1 seed race.

It is the third loss in the past five games, and we can now say that the Warriors are in a minor crisis. They’ve hit only nine threes in 42 attempts against Indiana, but on the other side, post 21 turnovers which is too much.

Steph Curry scored 39 points, shooting 12-for-27, and making six threes. Steph also added five boards and eight assists. Klay didn’t hit a single three in seven attempts, which is also a big surprise. He would end the night with 12 buckets; Kevon Looney had 13 with 15 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins scored 11, 1-for-6 for three.

Head to Head Games

The Warriors and the Rockets met already once this year, in early November. That contest took place in San Francisco, and the hosts won it, 120-107. Tate posted a double-double, 21 points, and 10 boards, while on the other side, Jordan Poole had a team-high with 25 buckets.

Prediction

This is a no-brainer here. Despite them not shining in the past week or two, the Warriors need to win and put an end to the shaky period. This is a critical part of the year in the No.1 seed battle with the Suns, and they can’t afford to lose yet another event against an outsider, with all due respect for Houston and its players. Therefore, we are picking the hosts in this one. If you want, go with GSW winning by ten or more points.

Pick: GSW -10

Here is the preview for LA Clippers vs. Philadelphia 76er game.