NBA Playoffs
Western Conference – Round 1
Tip-off: Saturday, 3:35 p.m. ET
Line: Golden State -13.5, Total: 225.0

The Warriors’ quest for back-to-back titles begins when they host the Rockets in Game 1 Saturday.

The Rockets snuck into the playoffs with a little help from the Kings on Wednesday. Sacramento rested its starters and that allowed Houston to win easily and clinch the eighth seed in the Western Conference. The team does, however, have the toughest possible matchup in the opening round. The Rockets are facing the Warriors this series and that is trouble for Houston. Golden State was 3-0 both SU and ATS when facing the Rockets on the year and the Warriors are also 7-1 SU when hosting them over the past three seasons. One thing that does favor the Rockets is that they are 13-4 ATS after two straight wins by 10 points or more over the past two seasons. Golden State, however, is an incredible 12-2 ATS after two straight games where it was called for 18 or less fouls in that span. The Warriors are also 23-10 ATS after a blowout win by 20 points or more in that time. Both teams are expected to be at full strength in this game, so injuries should not be a huge factor in determining the outcome of this one.

The Rockets barely found a way into the postseason, but they’ll be looking forward to this fresh start on Saturday. Houston does, however, have a very tough matchup, as the team is facing a Warriors group that had the best regular season in the history of the game. One thing the Rockets do well is score the basketball, as they averaged 106.5 PPG (4th in NBA) during the regular season. They will need to get up and down the court in a hurry in order to catch the Warriors off guard in this series, but they’ll also need to lock in defensively. As is always the case for this team, SG James Harden (29.0 PPG, 7.5 APG, 6.1 RPG, 1.7 SPG) is going to need to play well in order for Houston to have a chance on Saturday. He was remarkable towards the end of the season, averaging 33.6 PPG on 49.6% shooting from the floor and 53.2% shooting from the outside over the final five regular season games. He did, however, average just 27.7 PPG on 37.9% shooting from the field in his three meetings with the Warriors this season. The Rockets will need him to be more efficient in this one. C Dwight Howard (13.7 PPG, 11.8 RPG, 1.6 BPG) is somebody that will need to step it up in order to help the Rockets pull off an upset on Saturday. Howard has played well against Golden State this season, averaging 15.3 PPG, 11.7 RPG and 1.7 BPG in three meetings with the team. His offense is going to need to be there, but he also needs to provide some serious rim protection in this one. Two other guys to look out for are SF Trevor Ariza (12.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.0 SPG) and PG Patrick Beverley (9.9 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.3 SPG). Both guys are good defenders and can knock down shots from the outside. If either of them can get hot in this series then the Rockets may just have a chance to pull off a miracle.

The Warriors were pretty close to flawless this year, as they dominated opponents and ended up breaking the record for wins in a regular season. They’ll now turn their attention to the playoffs and should really like their chances to win back-to-back titles. While Houston is a good offensive team, Golden State was the best in the league this year. The Warriors averaged 114.9 PPG (1st in NBA) this season and a remarkable 28.9 APG (1st in NBA). They also rebound the ball well, as evidenced by their 46.2 RPG (4th in NBA). That will be crucial against the Rockets in this series. PG Stephen Curry (30.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 SPG) is going to be the most important player in this series. He is the toughest player to guard in the entire league and if he can get hot then he should be able to lead the Warriors to an easy victory in Game 1 and this series. He averaged 30.0 PPG on 53.8% shooting against the Rockets this season, so he should have no problem getting it going. SG Klay Thompson (22.1 PPG) will also be very important in this one, though. Thompson is known for being a remarkable shooter, but he is also one of the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. He will be hoping to make things difficult on James Harden in this series and he should be able to do that. PF Draymond Green (14.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.4 BPG) is one last guy that this team will need to show up in a big way. Green is the heart of this Warriors team and needs to bring it on both ends of the floor. He averaged 9.0 PPG, 9.3 APG, 9.0 RPG, 1.3 SPG and 1.0 BPG in three games against the Rockets this season and it’d be big if he can keep filling up the stat sheet moving forward.