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The Houston Rockets and Golden State Warriors resume their rivalry in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday night at the Oracle Arena.
Rockets Complaining
The Rockets were complaining about the officiating in Game 1. Starting point guard Chris Paul even got ejected late in the game for complaining as Houston probably let their emotions win over them and they struggled to shoot the ball from the floor against the mighty Dubs. The Rockets made just 41.9% of their shots and 29.8% from behind the three-point area.
Reigning MVP James Harden who has been on fire since late during the regular season shot just 9-28 from the floor including 4-16 from the three-point area. Chris Paul took just nine shots all game long and finished with 17 points while Clint Capela only had two points and six boards for Houston.
Rockets
+195
Warriors
-225
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 4/30/19
Splash Brothers Struggling
The Warriors were able to win Game 2 despite Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson having off nights. The Warriors’ starting backcourt combined to shoot just 10-25 from the floor on Sunday night yet Golden State was able to steal the win at their home floor as they held the Rockets to just 100 points in the game.
Kevin Durant has been lights out since midway the Clippers’ series. KD scored 35 points on 11-25 shooting including 12-15 from the foul line. It was the fifth straight playoff game where he scored at least 30, tying a career-best mark. Durant scored a total of 95 points in their last two games against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Who Wins?
Houston is 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. The Rockets are 2-3 SU in their last five games played on the road. Golden State is also 7-3 SU in their last 10 games played. The Warriors are 3-2 SU in their last five games played at home. Head to head, these teams have split their last 10 meetings. However, the Warriors are 9-1 SU in their last 10 home playoff games against the Rockets.
The Rockets were complaining about the officiating in Game 1. Chris Paul was even ejected in the final seconds of the game for arguing with a referee. Whether the referees called the fouls or not, Harden shot just 9-28 including 4-16 from the three ball and that’s what did Houston. Unless Harden stops complaining and starts playing, the Rockets are in trouble here.
The Warriors survived despite having their starting backcourt as game-time decisions. Steph Curry shot just 3-10 from the three-point area and scored only 18 points while Klay Thompson was just 5-13 with 13 points. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant was unstoppable and has been playing very well these past two weeks.
Golden State wants to make a statement to erase the doubts that Houston could have won if the referees called fouls on Harden’s three-point attempts. Whether those were fouls or not is another story. The Dubs struggled in Round 1 and would want to start playing better this series.
I’m picking the Golden State Warriors to beat the Houston Rockets in Game 2 of their second-round series.
Other Bets To Make
The Rockets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games played. Houston is 3-2 ATS in their last five games played on the road and 5-0 ATS in their last five games against Pacific Division opponents. The Warriors are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games played. Golden State is 2-3 ATS in their last five games played at home, 1-5 ATS in their last six games against Southwest Division teams, 3-6 ATS in their last nine games played in April. Head to head, the Rockets are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against the Dubs.
Rockets
+5.5 (-113)
Warriors
-5.5 (-107)
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 4/30/19
Houston is 9-3-1 in their last 13 games against the Western Conference, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against a team with a winning percentage of at least .600 and 9-3 ATS in their last 12 games overall. Golden State is 6-0 ATS in their last six games played against a team with a winning percentage of .600 and higher, 10-22-1 ATS in their last 33 home games and 5-2 ATS when playing on one day rest. The Rockets kept Game 1 close but this time around, I expect better games from Steph Curry and Klay Thompson who were listed as questionable until game-time last Sunday. Giving the Rockets 5.5 free points won’t matter if the Splash Brothers start splashing.
Prediction: Warriors -5.5
The under is 6-2-2 in Houston’s last 10 games played. The total has gone under in four out of the last five games played by the Rockets. The total has gone over in four out of the last six games played by the Warriors. Golden State has seen the total go under in three out of their last five games played at home. Head to head, the under is 9-1 in the last 10 games between these teams. The under is 5-1 in the last six games between these teams in Golden State.
Rockets
O 220 -115
Warriors
U 220 -105
Odds from Betonline.ag as of 4/30/19
The under is 16-5 in the last 21 meetings between these two teams while the under is 4-1 in the last five meetings between the Rockets and Warriors in Golden State. The Under is 5-0-1 in the Rockets last six playoff games and the over is 3-2 in the Warriors last five playoff games. These teams combined to score just 204 points in Game 1 but I expect the Warriors’ guards to shoot better here as Curry and Thompson were a combined 10-25 in Game 1. With all the Rockets’ complaints, the Warriors are going to erase the doubts on who is the better team between the two.
Prediction: Over 220
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