James Harden and the Rockets beat Golden State in double overtime in December (Getty)
Two of the best teams in the NBA meet for the second time this season Friday at 8:00 p.m. Eastern, as the Houston Rockets (33-12) host the Golden State Warriors (36-6). The visiting Warriors, only two games off the pace they set last season in winning an NBA-record 73 regular season games, have won their last five with the most recent result being a 121-100 win over Oklahoma City Wednesday night. As for Houston, the Rockets are 7-3 in their last ten games are are coming off of a 111-92 win over Milwaukee Wednesday night.
According to OddsShark the book makers view Golden State as the favorite to win Friday’s matchup, with the Warriors being listed as a 5.5-point favorite in most sports books as of Friday afternoon. Betting opened with Golden State listed as a 4-point favorite. The two teams have played once this season, with Houston winning 132-127 in double overtime on December 1.
As for the point total, that number opened at 237.5 and has increased to anywhere from 238.5 to 241 points depending on the sports books. Most books settled on a total of 240.5 as of Friday afternoon.
Steve Kerr’s Warriors are 19-22-1 against the spread this season, with one of the defeats being the aforementioned loss to the Rockets. On the road the Warriors are 7-11-1 ATS this season, and they’ve dropped seven of their last eight road games ATS. From a point total standpoint the Warriors are 19-23 with the OVER this season, and they’re just 6-13 with the OVER in road games. Free agent signing Kevin Durant has fit in well with the Warriors, as they lead the NBA in scoring offense (117.8 ppg), offensive rating and defensive rating.
Houston is 28-17 against the spread this season, and they’re just 11-10 ATS in home games. The Rockets are 5-5 in their last ten games ATS, which includes a 2-4 mark in their last six. As for the point total, the OVER has hit in 25 of Houston’s 45 games, with the Rockets being 11-10 with the OVER in home games. The Rockets, led by MVP candidate James Harden, are second in the NBA in scoring offense with an average of 114.5 points per game.
PREDICTION: Houston +5.5 with the UNDER.
OddsShark predicts a final score of 119-109 in favor of Golden State, which would beat the listed point spread but fall short of the point total. But as noted above the Warriors are 1-7 ATS in their last eight games, so look for this to be a close one. Warriors win, 117-113.
