NBA Playoff Betting – (2) Rockets at (1) Warriors (Game 1)

Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors (-10, 219 o/u)

The NBA’s reigning MVP, Stephen Curry and his Golden State Warriors open the Western Conference finals hosting the MVP runner-up, James Harden, and the Houston Rockets tonight at the ORACLE Arena, (9:00 PM Eastern).

After being down 2-1 in their conference semifinals series against the Memphis Grizzlies, Golden State has been money in the last three games, not only winning, but covering the spread at the same time.  Curry has averaged 28.2 points per game in this postseason, almost five points more than his regular season numbers.

“We’re four wins away from getting to the Finals and one step closer to our dream,” Curry told the Associated Press. “There’s one team in our way to get there. That’s it.”

The Rockets were down 3-1 against the Los Angeles Clippers before rallying back in a big way, which included a 19 point second half comeback in Game 6. The Rockets ended up covering the spread in their last three games,  including the series clinching Game 7 win on Sunday at home.

However, the road will not be any easier against the Warriors, a team that has only suffered three losses at home all year.

“We’re going to put the pressure on them,” Harden said to AP. “It’s the playoffs, anything can happen.”

The Warriors and Rockets attempted and made more 3-pointers than any other team during the regular season, and during the postseason Golden State is averaging 38.5 percent, with Houston trailing just behind at 35 percent.

Golden State swept the four-game series against Houston during the regular season, winning by at least a double digit margin each time. The Warriors have covered the spread in the last five meetings against the Rockets.

Pick: Warriors (-10).

(Photo credit: 2O (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Photo has been cropped.)