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The Golden State Warriors have their superstar back. The Houston Rockets just lost theirs. A titanic clash has lost some of its luster because James Harden won’t be available when the Western Conference’s two top teams face off this week.
Houston has fallen off after an incredible start and has ceded the best record in the NBA to Golden State. With Stephen Curry back in the fold and the home field advantage, the Warriors should be sizable favorites in this matchup.
There is plenty of season remaining but if the Warriors can win this game they may start pulling away to finish with the best record in the NBA and the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference as they aim to defend their title.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, January 4, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at the Oracle Arena. The game will be televised live on TNT.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Thursday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Rockets are 26-9 straight up and are 16-18-1 against the spread. Houston has only been the underdog three times this season, failing to cover in two of them.
The Warriors are 29-8 straight up and 17-20 against the spread. Golden State has been favored in every game this season and that won’t change in this matchup.
Matchup To Watch
Chris Paul vs. Stephen Curry — Each team boasts a star point guard, and the Rockets will need a spectacular game out of Paul in this one in order to remain in striking distance. Paul is averaging 17.2 points, 8.9 assists and 5.2 rebounds per game.
He will have the opportunity to shoot more and will have the ball in his hand constantly without Harden available.
Curry missed a few weeks with an ankle injury but is back and playing well. He scored 38 points in a win over Memphis in the first game back and is averaging 26.8 points per game on the season.
Paul is a good defender and he needs to harass Curry, who is deadly from 3-point range when given open looks.
Injury Report
Harden — The Rockets’ star small forward suffered a hamstring strain against the Lakers and Sunday and is expected to at least miss two weeks with the injury. Harden left the game against Los Angeles on Sunday in the fourth quarter with the injury and did not return, but the Rockets went on to beat the Lakers in double overtime without their star player.
Harden leads the NBA and his team in scoring this season, averaging 32.3 points per game. The five-time NBA All Star is among the top early candidates in the MVP race.
Harden had 27 points and 11 assists in Houston’s win over the Warriors back on October 17th. It’s likely Paul, who had just four points in that first matchup, will carry a heavier load this time without Harden in the lineup.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Rockets won the first matchup between these teams but it will be tough sledding to remain competitive in this one. Houston needs to shoot extremely well from the field and have a role player step up in Harden’s absence.
Houston won’t have enough firepower to remain close in this one. Take the Warriors to grab control of this game in the middle quarters and play well in the fourth to keep the Rockets at bay.
Golden State is back to full strength and playing well. The Rockets could be one of their toughest foes in the playoffs, but the absence of Harden makes this one lopsided. Watch for the spread, because Golden State may need to win comfortable to cover at home.
The scoring total should be high as both teams can really get up and down the floor in a hurry.
NBA Odds: Warriors 126, Rockets 115
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