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The Golden State Warriors will attempt to go 2-0 up on rivals Houston Rockets when the two teams meet at Oracle Arena on Tuesday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.
The Warriors (top seed) had a tougher time than expected in the first round against the LA Clippers, losing 2 games in that series. After finally edging the Clippers 4-2, the Warriors had just two days of rest coming into Game 1 against the Rockets, which wasn`t an ideal situation. However, Golden State played a good game to win Game 1 by 4 points, and another win tonight would put them into a commanding position in this series.
The Rockets (4th seed) played great basketball to defeat the Jazz 4-1 in Round One, and were hungry and confident coming into this series against Golden State. The Rockets lost against the Warriors in 7 games last year in the Western Conference finals, so this is their shot at revenge. The Rockets had their chances to win Game 1 but blew them, and things could get more difficult for them from now on.
Bet on Warriors v Rockets and claim your 100% (120 Eur) welcome bonus at LSbet!Team news: The Warriors continue to miss Cousins and Jones, both out for the season. Curry and Thompson, who were questionable before Game 1, are now healthy, and coach Kerr said they will definitely play. The Rockets are expected to get back Rivers, which would make them fully healthy.
The Rockets have started a media circus after losing Game 1, claiming they were robbed. While it`s true that there were a few calls going against them, it wasn`t as major as they made it to be. It was kind of pathetic for the Rockets to blame the refs for the loss, considering they are the team which flops the most in the entire league, and their star James Harden is shooting more free throws than anybody else in the league (shot 14 in Game 1). But when your gameplan is built on tricking refs into sending you to the free throw lines, of course you go crazy when a couple of soft calls aren`t made.
It`s fair to say the Rockets might have blown their chance in this series in Game 1, when they caught the Warriors coming right after the Clippers series, and with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson a bit hobbled. Plus, Steph got in foul trouble, so the Rockets really had a lot of things going for them. Now, the Rockets won`t have the advantage of extra rest anymore, and the Warriors now had time to better adjust and plan for the Rockets.
Golden State will surely be angered by all the talk about referees in Game 2 and will want to prove a point here, knowing they are the better team. And time and time again this season (and not only this season), the Warriors fully raised to the challenge when it came to delivering the goods in a statement game.
The Warriors are actually a bit less rated tonight by the bookies than in Game 1, which makes no sense. The Dubs should be more ready for the Rockets this time around, and Curry and Thompson are 100% sure to play – as opposed to Game 1, when there was a chance they would sit out. The odds on the Dubs are definitely too high in my opinion. The price for the simple win stands at 1.45, while I would have never priced that above 1.30.
I reckon the Warriors will come out firing tonight and teach the Rockets a lesson, so I will back the Warriors to cover the -5 (asian) handicap. Backing the straight win at around 1.45 is a perfectly fine option for those looking for more security, but I trust my analysis and I am taking the extra risk and going with the point spread – with stakes of 10/10. Prediction: Golden State Warriors – Houston Rockets 122 – 104.
Pick: Warriors -5
Odds: 1.90 @ 1xBet
Stake: 10
Possible profit: 9
Event date: 1 May
