The Golden State Warriors (4-1) will take on the Houston Rockets (3-2) tonight in the NBA. Tipoff from the Toyota Center in Houston is set for 8 p.m. ET.
The oddsmakers see the Rockets as 5.-point home favorites over the Warriors (Rockets -5.), while the total is set at over/under 217.5 points.
Read below for my Warriors vs. Rockets predictions and my NBA picks for Saturday, November 2.
Warriors vs. Rockets Prediction, Pick, Odds
| Warriors Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
+5 -110 | 217.5 -110 / -110 | +150 |
| Rockets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Over/Under | Moneyline |
-5 -110 | 217.5 -110 / -110 | -185 |
- Warriors vs. Rockets Spread: Rockets -5
- Warriors vs. Rockets Over/Under: 217.5
- Warriors vs. Rockets Moneyline: Rockets -185, Warriors +150
- Warriors vs. Rockets Best Bet: Alperen Sengun Over 11.5 Rebounds (+125)
A pair of teams off to solid starts this season meet up as the Warriors visit the Rockets in Houston on Saturday night. The Warriors have won two straight games, both at home to the New Orleans Pelicans, While the Rockets are coming off a pair of road wins over the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs, respectively. It's the first of four regular season matchups for these Western Conference hopefuls.
Golden State Warriors
The Warriors have a slightly different look this season than we're used to with Klay Thompson now off playing in Dallas. These new Dubs, if we want to call them that, have some of the same players as before but so far are getting big-time production from some different names and faces.
Leading the Warriors in scoring is Buddy Hield at 21.2 points per game. In his first season with the team, Hield has come off the bench in four of five games and hit 50 percent of his 9.6 three-point attempts per game.
Second on the team in scoring average is Andrew Wiggins, with the former No. 1 overall pick producing 19.7 points per game through three games played. He is attempting just more than six shots from three per game, making nearly four of them. Steph Curry is currently third on the team in scoring at 18.3 points per game, also in three games played. The star is taking just 13.7 shots per game, of which nine are threes (he's making 3.7).
Curry leads the team at 6.7 assists per game while Wiggins is tops in rebounds, also at 6.7 per game.
One of the most balanced teams in the league, six Warriors in total are averaging in double figures for points, with Jonathan Kuminga (11.4), Moses Moody (11) and Brandin Podziemski (10.2) rounding out the group. Draymond Green is averaging just six points per game, but is contributing four rebounds and 4.4 assists per night.
As a team the Warriors, who have a top-five offensive rating, are attempting 45 three-point shots per game. They're making 17.6 of them, good enough for 39.1 percent.
With their propensity to fire away from deep they have not gotten to the free throw line much but they do have one of the highest assist percentages in the NBA. They have been playing at a faster than average pace and yet have the second-best defensive rating in the league.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets' start can largely be attributed to the ascension of Jalen Green. The fourth-year pro is averaging a career-best 27.6 points per game, while taking a career-most 21.8 shots per night. Nearly 11 of them are threes, from where he's shooting nearly 41 percent.
Green is also averaging 5.4 rebounds and three assists per game, providing all-around excellence for a team that is short on stars but not on talent. Four other players are averaging in double figures for points, with Alperen Sengun at 15.2, Fred VanVleet at 12.6. Both Dillon Brooks and Jabari Smith Jr. averaging 12 points per game.
Sengun leads the team in rebounds at 12.4 per game while VanVleet's 5.8 assists lead in that stat.
Those five have started every game for the Rockets and outside of them only one other players is averaging at least 20 minutes per game, and that is Amen Thompson. The reserve forward is at eight points and 4.2 rebounds per game, but he is not the only contributor off the bench.
The Rockets rely mostly on their starters for their top-10 offensive rating, but the rotation can go about nine deep. The Rockets attempt nearly 39 three-point shots per game, making just more than 13, or 39.6 percent. They get to the free throw line 25.6 times per game, which is about middle of the pack for the NBA.
The Rockets do rank near the bottom of the league in assists per game, though they are also among the best in the league at taking care of the ball while playing at one of the league's slowest paces.
Warriors vs. Rockets Prediction
This game is likely to see many three-point shots put up, and while both teams are excellent from behind the arc, that means there will also be plenty of rebounds to be had.
Houston's Alperen Sengun has pulled down at least 12 rebounds in four of five games this season, and with a size advantage in this matchup, he should do so again here.
