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Charlie Grant
Warriors vs. Rockets: Game 2 Prediction, NBA Playoff Odds
Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said all season his team was built to beat the Golden State Warriors, but it didn’t live up to the billing in Game 1. The Warriors are slight underdogs again in Game 2 but huge favorites to win the Western Conference finals as the series continues on Wednesday.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Oddsmakers installed the Dubs as underdogs in a playoff game for the first time since Kevin Durant came to the Bay Area and they won outright by double digits against the top-seeded Rockets. Houston’s home-court advantage is toast but it can still carry a series split to Oakland with a win on Wednesday night. The Rockets won 34 of their 41 home games during the regular season but went just 17-23-1 ATS.
The Warriors are 32-14 SU and 21-25 ATS in away games (regular season and playoffs combined) this year. The under is 4-0 in their last four games and 6-4-1 in their 11 postseason games this spring. The under is also 15-6 in the Rockets’ last 21 home games and 36-17 in their last 53 overall.
About 64 percent of Sports Interaction bettors are backing the Golden State Warriors in this NBA matchup while 65 percent like the game to go over the 225-point total. SIA lists the Warriors as -528 chalk to win the series while the Rockets are paying +337 to dethrone the defending champions.
Golden State Warriors
In a game filled with stat-stuffing box scores, Kevin Durant was the star of the night. The 2017 Finals MVP scored 37 points – which isn’t always a good sign for Golden State. The Warriors are just 8-13 in games this year when KD scores 30 or more points.
Durant wasn’t the only Warrior player roasting Houston. Klay Thompson tallied 28 points and was left open on 14 of his 18 shot attempts. Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni said after the game his club can’t allow Thompson to have another game where he gets that many good looks.
Houston Rockets
James Harden and Chris Paul showed up but the supporting cast didn’t. PJ Tucker played nearly 35 minutes and registered just one point; Luc Mbah a Moute missed all six of his shot attempts including four bunnies at the rim; and Trevor Ariza picked up his fifth foul early in the third quarter and only played 23 minutes. Houston can’t beat Golden State without more help from its role players.
