The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets appear to be headed to a second straight matchup in the Western Conference Finals. The Warriors remain in first place in the Western Conference, but the Houston Rockets are closing the gap fast. Houston has won all three games against the Warriors so far this season.
Houston comes into this game having won nine straight games to improve their record to 42-25. The Rockets sit atop the Southwest Division and have moved into third place in the West. Golden State has gone just 2-4 in their last 6 games, but are still leading the Western Conference with a 45-21 record. The Warriors are 2.0 point underdogs on the road in this game.
Warriors Reign Coming to End
The Golden State Warriors will have some tough decisions to make this offseason, and it appears that the rumors are distracting the team. Both Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant are expected to leave in the summer, breaking up the trio of “Splash Brothers.” Thompson and Durant appear to be making the most of their last season in Golden State, combining for more than 49 points this season. The Warriors are capable of shooting themselves out of any slump.
Head coach Steve Kerr has tried everything this season to get his team to play better defense. The Warriors are allowing more than 112 points per game this season, after being one of the better teams in the league the last few seasons. Even though the Warriors have a ton of great individual defenders, they haven’t been getting stops as a team. Golden State will have their hands full with trying to stop Harden on Wednesday night.
Rockets Aren’t Scared of Golden State
The Golden State Warriors are one of the most intimidating teams in the NBA, but the Houston Rockets aren’t scared of them. The Rockets pushed the Warriors to the brink of elimination a season ago, and they have blasted them a few times this season. Houston is able to score right along with Golden State, averaging 113.0 points per game this season. The Rockets have also struggled on the defensive end of the floor, but have been better since the return of center Clint Capela.
The Houston Rockets have a deep team that is full of shooters, but they are led by the best scorer that the league has seen in decades. James Harden was the Most Valuable Player a season ago and is the frontrunner again this season. Harden is averaging 36.2 points per game and takes close to 25 shots per night. Chris Paul and Eric Gordon are both capable scorers as well, but Harden is the clear leader of the team.
Warriors Finally Solve Rockets
The Rockets and Warriors are two teams that are trending in opposite directions, but this is going to be an extremely competitive game. This is the type of game that the Warriors have been winning in recent seasons, and they will come out with something to prove. Houston has owned the Warriors this season, but that will change in this game. Take the points and bet the Golden State Warriors +2.0 against the Houston Rockets.
