Houston Rockets vs Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors got a wake-up call last week as the Houston Rockets even the series at 1-1. Now, it’s time for the basketball giants to retaliate.
As the Western Conference finals series shifts to Oracle Arena for Game 3, all eyes are on the Warriors and what they will do to bounce back from their 22-point blowout loss to Houston last week.
Draymond Green said they are at their best when they “feel threatened.” Now, it’s time for them to prove that and show the Dubs faithful and the top betting sites why they should still be considered as the team to beat.
Talking Points
Steph Curry’s performance will be vital for the Warriors if they are to make a huge statement win at home. The two-time MVP has been struggling on both ends of the floor and needs to find his rhythm to keep the Warriors’ engine running.
In the first two games, Curry has only made a total of 15 shots out of his 34 attempts from the field. While that doesn’t look bad at first, closer analysis suggests otherwise.
The 30-year-old guard, who became a cultural phenomenon with his insane long-range shooting, is 2-of-13 from three-point territory against the Rockets so far. In fact, he only made one out of eight shots from three in Game 2 and had to wait until the fourth quarter to make it—when the game was all but out of reach.
His defence tells a more horrifying story. Curry, no thanks to his frame and stature (6-3, 190 pounds), was targeted by the Rockets with their signature pick-and-roll play. No.30 is actually not a defensive liability, but the Warriors need him to be locked in at all times especially now that Houston are dead set to target him to create spaces for wide-open shots.
It’s not just Curry who needs to step up for the Warriors though. His Splash Bro., Klay Thompson, was abysmal in Game 2 and shot 3-of-11 from the field while Draymond Green tallied six points alongside six boards and six assists.
Both players finished with a minus-24, the second-worst rating on the team behind Kevin Durant.
The Rockets used a balanced offence to tie the series, and they will hope for a similar result when they visit Oracle Arena.
Sure enough, they won’t be making 16 three-pointers every time, but the Warriors cannot afford to give them easy shots with James Harden and Chris Paul running the Houston offence.
History
The Warriors are difficult to beat at home in the regular season. And they are more difficult to beat at home in the playoffs.
Certainly, the job gets harder for the Rockets in one of the league’s most imposing and commanding venues—it’s called “Roaracle Arena” for a reason.
Also, who would ever want to play against the Warriors at Oracle Arena after they were voted for the Best Home Court Advantage award last year?
Golden State’s 29-12 home record is only the fifth-best mark in the NBA—third in the Western Conference in the 2017-18 campaign. However, it should be noted that they are yet to lose a home game in the playoffs this year.
They won all six of their home matches against the San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans and will look to extend that when they play the Rockets.
More amazingly, the Warriors are currently tied for the NBA record for most consecutive postseason home wins with 15, dating back to the playoffs last year. They equalled the Chicago Bulls’ mark set in the 1990 and 1991 playoffs.
Houston boast the league’s best record on the road (31-10), and it’s worth mentioning that they beat the Warriors at the Oracle in the first game of the year.
What are the odds?
The first two games between Golden State and Houston both ended with double-digit leads, so it’s no wonder why online bookmakers expect the same thing this time.
Thanks to their home-court advantage, the Warriors are tipped as favourites with Asian Handicap odds. They are at -7.00 that pays at 1.92, while Houston are at 1.98 for the +7.00 start.
While the Dubs are considered as a third-quarter team, our odds also favour them to be at the lead by halftime. First Half Asian Handicap -4.00 on the Warriors give 1.82 odds, while the Rockets are at 2.06 with +4.00.
Interestingly, despite their last game ending by a combined 232 points, our NBA betting lines still give odds of 1.90 for Over 225.50.
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
