Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets – Preview & Prediction: Golden State Warriors will host Houston Rockets in NBA play-off.
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Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Preview
After managing to steal a win in the first game of the series, the Golden State Warriors lost the second match. However, a bigger issue for them was the injury to Jimmy Butler, and it was unclear how long he would be out. That’s why the previous game was extremely important for them, and it would’ve been a big setback if they had lost. Fortunately, the Warriors have Steph Curry — a man who’s won it all and knows how to handle games like this. He’s especially dangerous when his shot is falling, because he can single handedly beat any team. With 36 points, Curry moved into tenth place on the all-time NBA playoff scoring list.
In Butler’s absence, other players stepped up — most notably Buddy Hield, who came off the bench and scored 17 points, including 5-of-11 from three. But Hield isn’t someone the Warriors can rely on game after game due to his inconsistency. One of the biggest heroes of this win was Gary Payton II, who was questionable before the game. He finished with 16 points — 11 of those coming in the fourth quarter, when the entire Houston Rockets defense was focused on Curry. At a key moment when the Warriors were taking the lead, Payton scored nine straight points for his team. Another crucial factor for the Warriors was that they managed to somewhat keep up with the Rockets on the boards, the visitors only had six more rebounds, a much smaller margin than in the first two games.
The Houston Rockets had a great opportunity in this game to take advantage of the absence of one of the home team’s key players and even the series. But they couldn’t stop the Warriors’ best player, despite switching defenders and defensive schemes — Curry was simply too good in this one. In a playoff game against a strong team like the Warriors, if no player on your side scores more than 17 points, you’re in serious trouble. Most of their key players underperformed, with Fred VanVleet being the top scorer.
Alperen Sengun had his worst game of the series, scoring 15 points but with poor shooting percentages from both the field and the free-throw line. What’s especially concerning is that Jalen Green, after an amazing performance in Game 2, completely failed to deliver in Game 3. Simply put, the Houston Rockets need to play much better as a team if they want to eliminate such an experienced opponent. After all the incidents in the previous games, the crowd was even more engaged this time — and it seemed like they achieved their goal. Dillon Brooks picked up four fouls by halftime, which severely limited his playing time, and he couldn’t help the team in the final five minutes of the game.
Claim Now Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets H2H
The current series score is 2-1 in favor of the Golden State Warriors, while the regular season ended with both teams tied at 2-2.
Injuries and Suspensions
Jae’Sean Tate and Jock Landale will not be playing for the Houston Rockets. Jimmy Butler is questionable for the Warriors.
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Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Best Betting Tip and Prediction
This could be the game that decides the series, and we believe both teams will do everything they can to win. What’s encouraging for the Warriors is that they won the last game despite shooting 10% worse from three-point range than their opponent. Given the shooting capabilities of both teams, that kind of difference shouldn’t happen again in this series. The Rockets likely feel they missed a big opportunity to win on the road, and that might affect them — especially since they’re an extremely young team with little experience. The Warriors should take advantage of that and aim to win this game by at least a few points.
Tip-off Time: Monday, 10:00 p.m. EST, April 28th
Prediction: Golden State Warriors -2.5
Odds: 1.74
Sportsbook: BetLabel
*Odds are active at the time the article is published
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