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Charlie Grant
Rockets vs. Warriors: Game 6 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
The Houston Rockets are a game away from doing the impossible; eliminating the Golden State Warriors from the NBA playoffs. The Warriors are double-digit favourites in Game 6 and they won’t have to worry about the Chris Paul shimmy for the foreseeable future.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
This is an unusual spot for the Dubs to be in. The Warriors have faced elimination in just four games since the start of their championship run three years ago. They won and covered in every game after following behind 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2016 West finals, but lost Game 7 in the same year to the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
Houston is now 9-6 against the spread in the playoffs and 4-2 on the road. The Rockets’ Game 4 win at Oakland pushed their away record to 28-19 ATS on the season. The Warriors meanwhile are just 19-29-1 ATS on their home floor.
Golden State is still the series favourite at -139 on the Sports Interaction NBA futures despite trailing 3-2 in the series. The Rockets are +100 underdogs to pull off the upset and advance to the Finals.
The under is 4-1 so far in the series and 7-3 in the last 10 meetings overall between the two clubs. The 212-point total for this NBA matchup is 12.5 points lower than Game 1 number. The two teams combined to fall 25.5 points short of Over/Under line in Game 5.
Houston Rockets
The huge win on Thursday night came at a cost for Houston supporters. Point guard Chris Paul injured his hamstring in the final minute and was forced to leave the game. He’s already been ruled out for Game 6 and it’s unlikely he’ll be able to play if the Warriors push the series to a seventh game.
Paul is averaging 21.1 points, 5.8 assists and 5.9 rebounds in the postseason and the Rockets are 9-11 ATS without him in the lineup since he joined the club last summer.
Golden State Warriors
Golden State trailed 95-94 with 42 seconds left in the game and had a five-on-four attack while Chris Paul struggled to get to his feet at the other end of the floor. The shot the Warriors took at the most pivotal moment of their season was a 3-pointer – albeit wide open – by Quinn Cook. Yuck.
Dubs coach Steve Kerr doesn’t know which player to trust as the fifth wheel on the court with his four All-Stars. His problem is solved if glue guy Andre Iguodala returns to action on Saturday. Iguodala has missed the last two games with a knee injury.
