NBA Playoffs
Western Conference – Round 1
Tip-off: Wednesday, 10:35 p.m. ET
Line: Golden State -9.5, Total: 212.5

The Warriors will be looking to advance to the second round of the playoffs when they host the Rockets in Game 5 on Wednesday.

The Rockets had a golden opportunity to steal this series from the Warriors, but they did not rise to the occasion in Game 4. PG Stephen Curry (30.1 PPG, 6.7 APG, 5.4 RPG, 2.1 SPG in regular season) went down in the middle of the third quarter in that one, but the Warriors were still able to win that game 121-94 as 8.5-point road favorites. Houston will now need to win every game for the rest of the series in order to advance. That will be tough for the Rockets, as the Warriors are 9-1 SU and 6-4 ATS when hosting Houston over the past three seasons. Golden State is also an impressive 25-10 ATS after a blowout win by 20 points or more over the past two seasons and is facing a Rockets team that is 4-12 ATS after scoring 55 points or more in the first half of two straight games this season. PG Patrick Beverley (Hamstring) is probable for Houston in this game and Golden State is likely to be without Curry for the next two weeks.

The Rockets really blew their chance to take control of this series in Game 4. They could have been tied 2-2 and would have needed to win two of their next three games against a Curry-less Warriors team. Now they’ll need to win the rest of the games in this series and that will not be easy. If Houston is going to find a way to win at Oracle Arena on Wednesday then SG James Harden (24.5 PPG, 8.0 APG, 5.0 RPG, 2.5 SPG in playoffs) will need to be incredible on both ends of the floor. Harden had just 18 points in the Game 4 loss to the Warriors and he had 35 points in the Game 3 victory over the team. It’s clear that he needs to be aggressive offensively, but he’ll also need to play well on the defensive end. He can’t afford to let Klay Thompson go off in this one or Houston will likely be eliminated before a potential Game 6 matchup. C Dwight Howard (14.5 PPG, 12.3 RPG, 1.5 BPG in playoffs) must also play well in this game. He has come alive recently, averaging 16.0 PPG and 14.0 RPG over the past two contests. Howard was 13-for-18 from the floor in those games and will need to continue to get some easy buckets around the basket moving forward.

The Warriors are one win away from advancing to the next round, but they’ll need to do it without Curry and that won’t be easy. If Golden State is going to put this series away then SG Klay Thompson (22.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 4.0 APG, 1.5 SPG in playoffs) is going to need to step it up. He was excellent in Curry’s absence in Game 2, exploding for 34 points in 37 minutes of action. The Warriors will need a similar performance on Wednesday. PF Draymond Green (12.8 PPG, 9.8 RPG, 6.3 APG, 1.5 SPG, 1.3 BPG in playoffs) will also need to be on his game in this one. He had 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting from the floor in Game 4 and really sparked this team in the third quarter. It’d be huge for the Warriors if he can get hot again on Wednesday. The x-factor for Golden State will, however, be PG Shaun Livingston (12.5 PPG, 5.3 APG, 1.5 SPG in playoffs). Livingston is going to get a majority of the minutes at point guard for this team and he has been excellent in the postseason. His size is absurd at the point guard position, so he’ll need to continue to back down his opponents. Livingston is automatic from midrange and should be able to set his teammates up plenty in this one.