The Golden State Warriors take on the visiting Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals at ORACLE Arena. Action begins at 10:30 pm ET on Monday, Apr. 18 and will air on TNT, RSW and GS2.
The Warriors won big over the Rockets 104-78 on Saturday. Stephen Curry was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting.
The Warriors enter the game with records of 74-9 Straight Up (SU) and 44-36-3 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 74-9 SU and 44-36-3 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Warriors come into the game with the top-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 114.8 points per game. Golden State is excellent from the perimeter with a league-high 1,087 three-pointers made (13.0 per game). The Warriors have a distinct advantage on the boards in this matchup. They are the third-ranked rebounding team in the NBA, averaging 46.3 per game, while the Rockets rank 19th in the league with 43.2 per game. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Golden State, which ranks second at 1.94. Turning to the defensive side, the Warriors have stifled opponents’ efforts from beyond the arc, allowing an NBA-low three-point field goal percentage of only .331.
As for their opponent, Houston has a SU record of 41-42 and an ATS record of 36-46-1. In Western Conference games, Houston has gone 41-42 SU and 36-46-1 ATS. They sport the fourth-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 106.2 points per game. When it comes to stealing the ball, the Rockets are the best in the league with an average of 10.0 steals per game. Houston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking second in points off turnovers with an average of 18.8 per game.
The Warriors’ win over Houston in their last game moved their SU record against Houston to 9-1 over the last 10 meetings. The Warriors also lead the matchup ATS with a record of 6-4.
Predictions: SU Winner – GS
Notes
Houston gives up 108.0 points on the road this season. Topping the league in home scoring, Golden State puts up 116.0 points on its own court.
In its last game, Golden State won by a 26-point margin. Houston is 6-6 in games decided by a margin of 18 points or more. Golden State has a 23-3 record in blowouts.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets are an outstanding 15-5. In games where they score fewer than 100 points, the Golden State Warriors have a losing record of 2-5.
Houston is 26-37 when allowing 100 or more points this season. The Warriors have a stellar 72-4 record when hitting triple digits.
The Warriors have a defensive rating of 101.2, fourth-best in the NBA. The Rockets also rank in the top half of the league for their offensive rating of 105.8 (ranked eighth).
Golden State has an average field goal percentage of 48.7% (ranked first). Houston is an abysmal 5-20 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Houston Rockets rank lower for their field goal percentage (14th) than their effective field goal percentage (seventh), while the Golden State Warriors rank the same for both metrics (first).
The second-ranked team, Golden State has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.94 this season. Houston ranks lower at 26th with an A/TO of 1.44.
The Golden State Warriors are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 46.3 rebounds per game (ranked third). The Houston Rockets rank 19th, rebounding 43.2 times each 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.
On average, the Rockets force a turnover rate of 15.7%, ranked second in the NBA. When the Warriors turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a tremendous 31-5 record.
