Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets Game 1 Pick - Odds and ATS Predictions

Golden State Warriors at Houston Rockets Game 1 Pick - Odds and ATS Predictions

David Schwab
Date: May 14, 9:00 pm
Location: Toyota Center
TV: TNT

Betting Odds

Point Spread: Houston -1.5
Total: 224

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The No. 2 Golden State Warriors and the top-seeded Houston Rockets kick off this year’s Western Conference Finals on Monday night with Game 1 of what should be an epic best-of-seven showdown between the NBA’s top two teams. Tip-off on TNT from the Toyota Center is set for 9 p.m.
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Golden State at Houston Game Overview<br />
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The memory of a 4-6 straight-up (3-7 against the spread) slide over the last ten regular-season games has been replaced with an 8-2 mark in Golden State's first ten games of the postseason. It is still a tough bet at 5-5 ATS, and the total has stayed UNDER in six of the ten games, including the last three matchups against New Orleans in the previous round. The Warriors are 2-2 both SU and ATS in four road games in this year's playoffs.
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The return of Stephen Curry early in the conference semifinals moved Golden State back to full strength. In four postseason games, he has averaged 24.5 points while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. Kevin Durant has been the Warriors' leading scorer in the playoffs with 28.0 points per game, and Draymond Green leads the team in both rebounds (11.5) and assists (9.0). Golden State has averaged 110.3 PPG through 10 postseason contests, which is down slightly from their NBA-high 113.5-point scoring average in the regular season.
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It has taken Houston 10 games to get to its first conference finals since 2015. A pair of SU 4-1 series victories over Minnesota and Utah has the Rockets in position to return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1995 when they won their second consecutive world title. Houston went 6-4 ATS in those first ten playoff games with the total evenly split 5-5. It did stay UNDER in three of the five games against the Jazz.
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Houston added Chris Paul to the mix this past offseason, and the result was the best record in the NBA at 65-17, which was seven more wins than Golden State. Paul was spectacular in the final few games of the Utah series, and overall, he is averaging 21.8 PPG in the playoffs. James Harden was the league's leading scorer in the NBA regular season with 30.4 PPG, and he has averaged a team-high 28.5 points through his first ten postseason games. The Rockets were the second-leading team in points scored this season (112.4) and their postseason scoring average stands at 109.5 points coming into this series.
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<span style="font-size:16px;"><b><span style="color:#008000;">Get more details:</span></b> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/nba/matchup/978467"&gt; Golden State at Houston NBA Match-Up</a></span>
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Golden State at Houston Game Betting Trends<br />
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The Warriors have gone 6-1 ATS in their last seven games in the Western Conference Finals, and they have a 5-1-1 mark ATS in their last seven Monday games. The total has stayed UNDER in five of their last six road games.
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The Rockets are 0-4 ATS in their last four games against a team from the Pacific Division, but they are 5-2 ATS in their previous seven games against a team with a straight-up winning record. The total has stayed UNDER in 14 of their last 20 home games.
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Head-to-head in this matchup, the road team is 5-2 ATS in the last seven meetings, and the total has stayed UNDER in five of the previous six meetings in Houston.
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<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong><span style="color:#008000;">Search for the best odds:</span></strong> <a class="advblue" href="https://www.sportsbettingstats.com/nba/odds">Live NBA Lines</a></span>
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Golden State at Houston Prediction 05/14/2018

This is the matchup that NBA fans and bettors have been waiting for all season long. Golden State is back to full strength and playing like the defending champions, but Houston comes into this series as the best team in the league, especially on its home court. My lean is towards the Rockets taking Game 1 at home. However, my ‘best bet’ pick is that both teams put on an aerial display of shooting that takes the total OVER the lower-than-expected 224-point line.

Free Pick: Take the Over 224
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