Expect a fast-paced game when the Houston Rockets travel to Golden State to play the Warriors in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. The game gets underway at 9:00 pm ET on Thursday, May 21 and will air on ESPN.
The Warriors were victorious over the Grizzlies 108-95 in their last game. With 32 points and 10 assists, Stephen Curry recorded his 23rd double-double this season. James Harden shot 7-for-20 and led in scoring with 31 points.
There should be plenty of transition action in this game. The Warriors rank first in the league in possessions per game (101.2), while the Rockets are third (100.0).
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable. The Warriors are attempting to build on their records of 67-15 Straight Up (SU) and 47-34-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 42-10 SU and 32-20 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. The Warriors have the top-ranked offense in terms of FG%, shooting .478 from the floor. Golden State has the most assists in the NBA, averaging 27.4 per game. Transitioning to the Golden State defense, teams have to fight for open shots against the Warriors, who have the best opponent field-goal percentage in the league at .428. The Warriors are fourth in the league in steals with 9.3 per game. Something to watch out for is if Golden State can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 19.5 points off turnovers per game to lead the league. Expect Golden State to have lots of opportunities at the line against the Rockets, who are one of the most foul-prone teams in the league with an average of 22.0 fouls per game.
Across the court, Houston has a SU record of 56-26 and an ATS record of 48-34. In Western Conference games, Houston has gone 33-19 SU and 30-22 ATS. Houston is one of the top foul-shooting teams in the league, knocking down 18.6 shots from the line per game. When it comes to stealing the ball away, the Rockets are one of the best in the league with an average of 9.5 steals per game. Houston makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, ranking fourth in points off turnovers with an average of 18.9 per game.
Golden State won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record to 6-4 over the Rockets in the last 10 games. The Warriors also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 6-4. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Golden State and Houston each held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last 10 meetings.
Predictions: SU Winner – HOU, ATS Winner – HOU
Notes
Golden State 12-2-1 SU in its last 15 games.
Golden State 22-1-1 SU in its last 24 games at home.
Golden State is 8-16-1 SU in its last 25 games, when playing Houston.
Golden State 5-0-1 SU in its last 6 games when playing Houston.
Golden State’s offense and Houston’s defense are well matched when it comes to scoring. Golden State scores 0.0 points per game (ranked zeroth). Houston gives up 0.0 points per game, which is also ranked zeroth.
Golden State and Houston are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per home game and points allowed per away game respectively. Golden State scores an average of 0.0 points per home game, while Houston gives up 0.0 points per away game on average.
The Golden State Warriors are undefeated at 40-0 when they allow fewer than 100 points, while the Houston Rockets are 12-14 when they don’t reach the century mark.
When the Warriors give up 100 or more points, they are 27-15. When the Rockets hit triple digits, they also have a winning record (44-12).
The Warriors have the second-best offensive rating in the NBA (108.6). The Rockets are also in the top half of the league based on their defensive rating of 100.5 (ranked sixth).
The Golden State Warriors average 101.2 possessions and 1.086 points per possession in games this season. The Houston Rockets average fewer possessions with 100.0, as well as fewer points per possession with 1.040.
The Houston Rockets have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking seventh in the league with an EFF% of 51.2%. The Golden State Warriors have split their games 9-9 when opponents have a similar or higher EFF%.
The Golden State Warriors average 27.0 three point attempts per game, and the Houston Rockets attempt 32.7 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Golden State is 48-10 and Houston is 53-24.
The second-ranked team, Golden State has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.94 this season. Houston ranks lower at 27th with an A/TO of 1.39.
The Golden State Warriors rebound 44.7 times per game and are ranked sixth. Ranked 14th, the Houston Rockets rebound 43.7 times per game.
Golden State ranks among the best in the league in defensive rebounds at fourth, while Houston is a top-10 team in offensive rebounding (ranked seventh).
On average, the Warriors force a turnover rate of 15.3%, ranked sixth in the NBA. When the Rockets turn over the ball at a similar or higher rate, the team has a solid 32-15 record.
