The Houston Rockets are one of the most formidable foes the Golden State Warriors have seen in years. Even so, the Rockets are series underdogs in the Western Conference Finals despite finishing with the best record in the NBA in the regular season. Houston’s best chance at pulling off the upset will be by playing well early on.
The Rockets have Game 1 of this series at home and are slight favorites to come away with the victory. Golden State can wipe away all of Houston’s hard work to gain the home court advantage with an early win, and it’s certainly possible to happen in the opener.
This series has the chance to be epic. The entire basketball world will have its eyes trained in Houston for Game 1 in NBA basketball odds.
Game 1 of this NBA Playoff Series is on Monday, May 14, 2018 at 9 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The contest will be nationally televised on TNT.
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Odds Analysis
The Rockets are 1.5-point favorites to capture Game 1, and not surprisingly, the majority of the action is on the Warriors to cover. Golden State is currently getting about 65 percent of the action.
The scoring total is listed at 224 points as the oddsmakers expect an up-and-down affair between the two most high-powered offenses in the NBA. Despite the high total, the “over” is still getting more than 73 percent of the action.
The Rockets are the slight -125 favorites on the moneyline, while the Warriors are listed as the +105 underdogs. It’s not often Golden State finds itself in this position, and the bettors are taking advantage as more than 87 percent of the action is on the Warriors to pull the upset.
Injury Report
Warriors guard Steph Curry missed the team’s opening round series and the first game of the second round against the Pelicans with a sprained knee. He made his way back for the past four games and while he wasn’t completely up to speed early, he seems to be rounding into form.
Curry is averaging 24.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game in the playoffs. He looked really sharp in the closeout Game 5 against New Orleans, finishing with 28 points on 10-of-16 shooting along with eight assists and seven rebounds.
The Warriors generally have plenty of firepower with Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson also filling it up, but they will need all hands on deck against the Rockets. Curry seems to be all the way back from his injury and will be a key player in this series.
Key Stat
Zero. That’s the number of conference finals Rockets point guard Chris Paul had advanced to in his career prior to this season. He is there now with Houston. Paul facilitated a trade to the Rockets this offseason in order to have a shot at postseason success and now he is getting it.
Houston has projected MVP James Harden leading the way, but Paul is his main sidekick. The Warriors have so many stars that they often overwhelm foes, but the Rockets are the rare team that can hang game in and game out.
Paul would love to make it to the NBA Finals and he will need to be at the top of his game to help the Rockets get there.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Rockets are going to be playing in front of a raucous crowd, and they will be intent on proving the oddsmakers wrong. That type of inspired effort should lead them to victory in Game 1. The Warriors may eventually take control of this series, but look for the Rockets to squeak out this game and cover the spread in NBA basketball betting lines.
NBA ATS Pick: Rockets 117, Warriors 114
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