The Houston Rockets (9-7 SU, 10-6 ATS) look to stave off elimination once again when they visit the top-seeded Golden State Warriors (11-3 SU, 6-8 ATS) Wednesday in Game Five of the Western Conference final. You can watch the game live on ESPN.
Can anybody figure out the Huston Rockets? A team left for dead after an embarrassing 35-points loss Saturday, rose from the depths of elimination once again to live another day. The Rockets are 4-0 under Kevin McHale when facing elimination for the first time in a series and are 4-0 this postseason in elimination games.
The Warriors are still in control of the series but it got a little tighter Monday. Golden State’s stingy defense was scorched for an NBA record 45 first quarter points and the Dubs couldn’t climb out of the early hole they fell in. The Warriors have won 45 of 48 games at Oracle this season and have dropped two in a row just five times. They haven’t lost three straight games all season.
KEY INJURY
Warriors guard Stephen Curry took a scary fall to the court midway through the second quarter when he flipped over the back of Houston’s Trevor Ariza while attempting to block a shot. Curry landed on his upper back and remained on the floor for several minutes before walking to the locker room. He underwent concussion protocol and returned in the third quarter.
QUOTE TO NOTE
“We go beat on backdoor cuts. That’s usually a pretty good sign that you’re not ready to play defense. We got lost a couple times in transition. There were some signs, I thought, early on that we were not sharp.” – Warriors coach Steve Kerr following Monday’s loss
BETTING TRENDS
- Houston is 6-1 ATS in its last seven games overall.
- Golden State is 2-8 ATS in its last 10 home games.
- The UNDER is 6-0-1 in Golden State’s last seven home games.
KEY STATS
37: The top three-point shooting teams during the regular season didn’t disappoint Monday with the Warriors making 20 and the Rockets 17 to set an NBA playoff record for most combined three-pointers.
45: Rockets guard James Harden scored a playoff career-high 45 points making seven of 11 three-pointers to stave off elimination with a win Monday.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Somebody in the Rockets organization needs to get James Harden really mad. The MVP runner-up was not happy after a poor performance in Houston’s loss Saturday and coach Kevin McHale told him to take out his frustration on the other team. He did just that scoring a playoff career-high 45 points and the Rockets avoided elimination. Houston played like they weren’t ready for the off-season to begin, leading from start to finish for their first win in eight tries against the top-seeded Warriors. Houston played like there was no tomorrow, rolling to a huge first quarter lead with relentless play and kept up the pace the entire game.
Even when teams play a near perfect game the Warriors don’t make it easy. Falling behind by 23 points after one quarter they stuck with their game plan and made the Rockets and the sellout crowd squirm a bit towards the end, pulling within eight points late before Houston put the game away. The big story, however, was the spill MVP Stephen Curry took midway through the second quarter. Curry landed on his upper back after attempting to block a shot and was escorted to the locker room after lying on the court for a few minutes. He returned to the game halfway through the third quarter after going through the concussion protocol.
The Rockets have risen to the occasion each time when facing elimination this postseason and need to do it once again to continue the series. If they can duplicate the effort put forth Monday the teams will be returning to Houston for Game Six. They may be without Dwight Howard, who was assessed a flagrant 1 foul. He would be suspended if the league upgrades it to a flagrant 2 after review and that would be a severe blow to the Rockets hopes of extending the series. Houston has a new life and they extend the series with a win.
Houston 114, Golden State 108
BookMaker will be the first sportsbook to send out NBA odds for this game. Gamble on the game between every commercial break with BookMaker’s live betting feature. Along with an adjusted in-game moneyline, you can wager on what will happen on the next play or how many points will be scored in the next half. Live betting is the most exciting way to play!
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