The Golden State Warriors will travel to the Toyota Center to take on the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The game gets underway at 9:30 pm ET on Thursday, Apr. 21 and will air on TNT, RSW and GS2.
The Rockets are expecting a different result after their 115-106 loss to the Warriors on Monday. James Harden had a good game in defeat for Houston, recording 28 points and 11 assists to earn his 24th double-double of the season.
The Rockets have gone 41-43 Straight Up (SU) and 36-47-1 Against The Spread (ATS). In their last 10 games, they are 7-3 ATS. The Rockets have one of the most prolific offenses in the entire league, averaging 106.2 points per game. Crossing over to the defensive side of the court, the Rockets lead the league in steals with 9.9 per game. If its opponents turn the ball over, Houston has shown that it knows how to capitalize. They average 18.8 points off turnovers, making them the second-best team in the league for that category.
As for their opponent, Golden State has a SU record of 75-9 and an ATS record of 45-36-3. In Western Conference games, Golden State has gone 75-9 SU and 45-36-3 ATS. They sport the top-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 114.8 points per game. The Warriors rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, leading the league with 1,095 made (13.0 per game). Golden State is one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. The Warriors average 46.2 rebounds per game, making them the third-best team in the league for that category. The Warriors rarely make costly errors handling the ball. They have the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the league at 1.95. Shifting to the other side of the court, teams seem to consistently miss three-point shots against the Warriors, who are the third-best team in the league in terms of three-point field goal percentage allowed at .332.
Golden State beat Houston in their most recent meeting this season, bumping its SU record over the last 10 meetings to 9-1. Additionally, the Warriors hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
“The total has gone OVER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games “.
“Houston is 4-2 ATS in its last 6 games at home”.
“Houston is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 7 of Houston’s last 10 games at home”.
“Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Golden State”.
“Houston is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Golden State”.
“Houston is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Golden State”.
“Houston is 1-5 SU in its last 6 games when playing at home against Golden State”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Houston’s last 15 games when playing at home against Golden State”.
Golden State ranks first in points allowed per road game (106.4 PPG), while Houston ranks sixth in points per home game with 106.3.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Rockets are 15-5 on the season. When the Warriors score fewer than 100, they are a losing 2-5.
Houston is 26-38 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Warriors have an exceptional 73-4 record when they hit the century mark.
The Warriors have a defensive rating of 101.3, fourth-best in the NBA. The Rockets also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 105.8 (ranked ninth).
Golden State beats Houston in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Warriors average 101.8 possessions and 1.128 points per possession, while the Rockets average 100.4 possessions with 1.058 points per possession.
The Houston Rockets have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with an EFF% of 51.4%. The Golden State Warriors have a solid 15-6 record in games where opponents have a similar or higher EFF%.
On average, Houston attempts 30.0 three pointers and Golden State attempts 31.0 per game. In games where the teams have 25 or more three point attempts, the Rockets are even at 35-35 while the Warriors have a fantastic 68-8 record.
With 6.1 blocks per game, the Golden State Warriors rank second in the league. The Houston Rockets are in the top half of NBA teams for blocking, ranking 12th with 5.2 blocks per game.
The Houston Rockets are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the NBA at seventh. However, the Golden State Warriors are the top-ranked defensive rebounding team.
Making 9.9 steals per game, Houston is ranked first in the NBA. Golden State has a formidable 38-5 record when it allows at least 9 steals.
