Houston is in third place in the West behind a fantastic season from star James Harden. The Rockets get this game at home so they should have a shot at winning this game. The spread should be close but it could go to either side depending on the oddsmakers’ feelings.
Golden State is aiming to wrap up the top seed in the Western Conference and a win here would be huge, but Houston has other ideas. This will be one of the premier matchups of the week.
This war on the floor will go down Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The game will be televised live on NBATV.
We'll have NBA odds available for this and every game on the NBA Tuesday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Warriors are 59-14 straight up and 34-37-1 against the spread. Golden State has played in 38 road games on the season and gone 16-21-1 attempting to cover. The Warriors have been favored in all but one game this season. Without Durant, it will be interesting to see if that trend continues in this one.
Houston is 50-22 straight up and 41-31 against the spread. The Rockets have played in 36 home games on the season and have covered in 17 of them. Houston is 31-28 against the spread as the favorite this season and has covered in eight off 11 attempts as the underdog.
Key Stat
115.8. That’s the number of points per game the Rockets are averaging on the season, which is second best in the NBA but also second-best in this matchup. The Warriors enter averaging 116.0 points per contest and each side has a plethora of players able to light it up.
The pace should be lightning fast with both sides pushing the ball at will. Harden is averaging nearly 30 points per game to lead the Rockets, while five other players are also averaging in double figures. Eric Gordon doesn’t start but he’s putting up 16.4 points per game, while Lou Williams can also fill it up in a hurry.
Stephen Curry leads the way for Golden State with 24.9 points per game while Klay Thompson adds 22.1 points per game. With Durant out, both guys figure to put up big-time numbers in this showdown.
Player to Watch
Harden -- The Rockets’ swingman is one of the leading front-runners for the MVP this season as he had led a huge turnaround for the team. Houston finished near .500 a year ago but is now one of the best squads in the West.
Harden is averaging 29.5 points, 11.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds per contest. He is shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 35.4 percent from three-point range, but is constantly getting to the free throw line or setting up his teammates for easy baskets.
The Rockets have one of the top offenses in the NBA because of Harden, who is the orchestrator of it all. He has scored 38 or more points in four of his past five games and had a triple-double in two of them. It’s been a stupendous season for Harden and he hopes to do enough to lead his team to victory in this one.
Free NBA ATS Pick
The Warriors are rarely the underdogs, but this is one scenario where they could be met by a roster that can go shot for shot with them. Harden will undoubtedly have a big game and he should lead his team to the home victory.
The scoring total should be extremely high but consider the “under” in this one if it gets too out of hand.
NBA Odds: Rockets 115, Warriors 113
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