Subscribe
Follow Us
The Houston Rockets may have gotten one of the unluckiest draws in recent memory by earning the No. 2 seed in a year when the Golden State Warriors are the No. 7 seed. Since the All-Star break, Golden State has gone 21-7, the second-best record in the Western Conference in that span. Houston will attempt to frustrate them with a firewall defense and with one-half of the super twins, Amen Thompson hassling Curry for 4,700 square feet.
On Tuesday night, the Warriors dispatched the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 to advance out of the Play-In where the Rockets await them. The betting markets favor Golden State over the higher-seeded Rockets, but we've seen this act before from a young team that went all out in the regular season just to draw a veteran playoff contender that has been waiting for April to trigger that next gear. Here are three bold predictions for what you can expect in this series from the surging Warriors.
Steph Curry will solve the Amen Thompson dilemma
In his most recent outing against the Rockets, Thompson gave Curry the bends and the Warriors guard shot 1-of-10 from the field, scoring only three points in a loss that precipitated their spiral into the Play-In. Thompson's ability to frustrate Curry in a single regular season matchup makes sense. He’s a young, generational athlete who can reserve his energy for the defensive end because he’s often a spectator on the offensive end. That can take some time to adjust to.
In 41 possessions defended by Amen Thompson, Curry has a 31.3 percent true shooting percentage according to databallr. However, expecting him to hound Curry into oblivion for an entire series is blasphemous. In four previous matchups against the Rockets, Curry has tallied 107 points.
Ime Udoka has seen a motivated Curry before in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics. That didn’t turn out so well for the Celtics. The Rockets will undoubtedly make him work, but Curry has always found a way.
Jimmy Butler’s scoring barrage continues
Spring has sprung and Playoff Jimmy is back in business. The 30 points per game Jimmy Butler has averaged in his last four games constitute the most potent four-game scoring spree Butler has gone on since the 2023 postseason.
Butler took his time integrating into the lineup. But he’s activated a higher plane of basketball functioning. When the playoffs begin, Butler upgrades to Jimmy Butler Premium. It’s been two years since we last saw him dig into his trick bag like this. It must feel like deja vu for Butler to swing into the postseason as a 7-seed after a Play-In victory.
Houston will get physical with the Warriors wings, but Butler can go mano y mano with Dillon Brooks and for the first time in years, he’ll find that the defense scheme will focus on a player beside him. Draymond Green and Steph Curry have their own 6G connection going on, but Butler is dangerous in his own right.
Jalen Green will continue playing brick music
The Rockets may have to buy disaster insurance to account for Jalen Green. When Green has faced the Warriors this season, he’s been an incredible liability. His jump shot has played drums off the rim. In five matchups with the Warriors this season, Green has been the inverse of Amen Thompson. He’s also an uber-athlete who can shoot Houston in and out of a contest.
The Rockets swingman has struggled to find the bottom of the net. Against the Warriors, Green's 12.6 scoring is well below his season average. To top it off, he's also shooting just 31.5 percent from the field. From beyond the arc, he's misfiring to a greater degree, hitting on just a quarter of his attempts. Don’t be surprised if Udoka has to slash his minutes midway through the series.
