The Golden State Warriors head to Houston to take on the lowly Rockets in a battle of two teams in vastly different positions entering the stretch run of the NBA regular season. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Warriors-Rockets prediction and pick.
The Warriors enter play Wednesday at an even 20-20, right in the thick of the playoff hunt in the Western Conference.
Houston is 11-27 and has the third-worst record in the NBA thanks to a jaw-dropping 17-game losing streak.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Warriors-Rockets odds.
NBA Odds: Warriors-Rockets odds
Golden State Warriors -12.5 (-110)
Houston Rockets +12.5 (-110)
Over 228 points (-105)
Under 228 points (-115)
Why the Warriors could cover the spread
The case for the Warriors is more so a case of how bad Houston has been more than it is anything spectacular the Warriors have been doing.
The Rockets have lost 17 in a row and 10 straight have been by double digits. The Warriors could make it 11 straight and 18 in a row.
It has been a constant rotating door as to who is in and who is out of the Rockets' lineup on a nightly basis. That has led to chemistry and balance problems on the floor as the Rockets have also had a limited bench in recent games.
The Warriors haven't been great as losers of five out of their last six games. But they're still way better than Houston.
Paced by Stephen Curry, this is the type of matchup where the Warriors can get things shifting back in the right direction.
Golden State has an identity, and it circulates around a fast-paced offense that shares the ball (first in the league in assists) and relies on Curry to bring it to the offensive side every night. What the Warriors have struggled with is consistency, but they have an established idea of what makes them tick.
Houston is a mess. There's an identity crisis, a roster shortage at the moment, and no sense of how they can right the wrongs for now. One would imagine one double-digit loss after another starts to take a toll on a team, so it's only natural. This could just be another in the ongoing list with Golden State coming to Houston.
Why the Rockets could cover the spread
One thing to cling to for the Rockets is they are playing their third straight at home and they kept it competitive with Atlanta on Tuesday, entering the fourth quarter down by only a point. Houston can try and take what it did in the first three quarters and build off of it against the Warriors, with Kevin Porter Jr. continuing to play well.
Another note in the direction of the Rockets that favors them for the spread is the fact that Golden State hasn't beaten anybody by 13 or more since Feb. 15, over a month ago, when they blitzed the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 129-98 win. The Warriors are a solid team, but not great by any stretch of the imagination.
It's not out of the realm of possibilities to think that the Rockets can at least keep it below the number and cover at +12.5, especially if Christian Wood is able to return from a long absence.
Final Warriors-Rockets prediction and pick
The reality is that the Houston Rockets are a downright awful team this year. The Warriors are not a team that is constantly superior and certainly not the dynasty Warriors, but even so, I just can't muster up the courage to ride with a team that has lost 17 straight and 10 in a row by double digits. Even if Christian Wood returns, it looks like Victor Oladipo and John Wall will be among the key Rockets players out.
The streak will end for Houston at some point, but it won't be me sticking my neck out to predict when that will be.
Stephen Curry will do his thing and get enough from the supporting cast featuring Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. against a depleted and defeated Rockets squad.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION FOR WARRIORS-ROCKETS: GSW 119, HOU 103 (GSW -12.5)
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