If the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets were in the NBA’s Eastern Conference, their records would look stellar. Since they are in the West, they are behind several other teams who are off to a great start. Still, the Warriors and Rockets are two teams that no one is going to want to play come playoff time.

Both of these teams did a nice job in last year’s NBA Playoffs. The Warriors won their first-round series in an upset over the Nuggets. They proceeded to give the Spurs all they could handle in the second round. The Rockets pushed the Thunder much harder than they were expected to. Both teams have much higher expectations for this season.

These two teams have proven they can beat anyone in the NBA, but they are struggling with consistency in the early going this year. It’s very likely that this matchup could be a playoff preview. Who will come out on top in this one?

Warriors at Rockets Betting Story Lines

Golden State enters this game with an 11-8 record on the year. The Warriors have been bitten by the injury bug of late. Andre Iguodala has missed the last five games, and he is listed as “doubtful” for this one. Iguodala’s versatility is badly missed when he is out of the lineup. The Warriors don’t have anyone else on their roster who can guard the perimeter the way Iguodala does. Toney Douglas, a key backup point guard for the team, is out with a leg injury.

On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors trailed the Toronto Raptors by 27 points in the third quarter in a home game. The Warriors ended up pulling off the most stunning comeback of the season thus far by outscoring Toronto 42-15 in the fourth quarter and winning, 112-103. Anyone who bet on Toronto in that game has to be absolutely beside themselves because the Raptors were up 27 in the third quarter and were catching eight points in the game only to lose by nine points and fail to cover.

Can that win serve as a springboard for the Warriors moving forward? Mark Jackson certainly hopes so. Golden State is 1-6 so far against the Spurs, Thunder, Blazers Clippers, and Grizzlies. They are going to have to find a way to beat the best in the West if they want to make it far in the playoffs.

The Houston Rockets come into this game with a 13-7 record. Even though they have a very good record, the Rockets are a tough team to figure out right now. Houston has lost back-to-back games at Utah and home against Phoenix. While it certainly isn’t strange for a good team to hit some speed bumps throughout the year, losing to two very bad teams in consecutive games has to be a big concern for Rockets fans.

Jeremy Lin’s injury is definitely slowing the team down because Lin is a good distributor, and he was finding good shots for the rest of the stars on the team. Still, it is the injury to Chandler Parsons that has hurt this team really badly in the last couple games. Parsons has become one of the most underrated players in the league over the last couple years. He is averaging 17.2 points, 5.1 boards, and 3.9 assists per game. He has missed the last two games, and it is very clear the team needs him in the lineup. Parsons is listed as “questionable” for this game.

Warriors at Rockets NBA Betting Odds and Key Trends

According to odds from BetOnline, the Rockets are a six-point home favorite in this contest. The posted total is set at 217 points. Golden State will be well-rested for this one, and that has been great for the Warriors of late. Golden State is 7-0-1 ATS in their last eight games when playing on two days of rest. Houston is 5-1 ATS in their last six home games. The Warriors are only 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games at Houston. The “under” is 5-2 in the last seven meetings between these two teams.

Free NBA Picks: Warriors at Rockets Betting Predictions

This is a very interesting matchup because the Warriors clearly have the better backcourt, but the Rockets have a major advantage on the inside with Dwight Howard. Look for the Warriors to throw multiple guys at Howard throughout this one, and don’t be shocked if Howard attempts loads of free throws in this game. We might even see some intentional hacking here. Parsons is a big deal to the Rockets, so check the lineup to see if he’ll be in the game. Golden State’s huge win Tuesday night should give them some major momentum, and they are well-rested. Grab the points with the Warriors in what should be a close game.

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