The Rockets lost a tough one on Tuesday against the Kings. They look great in the first half and completely fell apart defensively after half time. They did bring it to single digits in the 4th, but never out of the hole they dug in the third quarter. Overall, that’s been a blip on the radar for what’s been a very successful start. They’ve managed to climb to 15-7 on the season with some great wins along the way.
The biggest reason for this success in our opinion has been their depth. It’s been a different guy taking over almost every night. One day is Green hitting his three the next it’s Sengun dominating the paint. They have so many effective options and everyone has to play with maximum effort to maintain their role. This could be the deepest team in the league.
The crazy part is, they haven’t even been shooting that well. They’re the 5th worst shooting team in the league this year. They’re only scoring at a 44% rate from the field and 33% from 3. That’s near where Portland, Washington, and New Orleans are shooting, who are all near the bottom of the league in wins.
They’ve made up for this shooting disparity by thriving off second chance points. They are leading the league in shot attempts per game and rebounds. The entire team is actively crashes the glass, and we love the energy.
They matchup extremely well against Golden State, especially with Curry and Draymond out tonight. They have the size to take over, and the tenacity on the boards to punish a smaller team. We could Sengun have a big night with the post being functionally open for business against Looney, Kuminga, and Jackson-Davis.
We expect the Rockets to take this one pretty convincingly unless Buddy Hield goes off again. Even though their last matchup with the Warriors ended in OT, this game might be over well before the 4th quarter.
Well, this is going to be a different look for the Warriors. Down Draymond and Curry, this might look like a completely different roster. With Wiggins questionable, the bench has their work cut out for them tonight against the Rockets.
It’s not like things have been going amazing for the Warriors, either. They’re on a five-game slide with no end in site, as their schedule looks brutal. Taking on the Rockets tonight who are looking to bounce back after a hard loss in Sacramento, it’s all hands on deck in San Francisco.
We’ve seen this group get hot before, though. We’ll likely need another big night out of Buddy Hield, as he’s been the saving grace with Curry missing games this year. He has fallen slightly since his hot start in early November. Dropping down to 11 points a game on streaky shooting.
Our biggest worry for the Warriors tonight will be the size. Without Draymond keeping the paint clear, Houston would have a massive advantage tonight. With Sengun and Smith Jr. tonight, it’ll be a challenge keeping Houston from dominating the boards. We’ll need to see Kuminga step up tonight if the Warriors have a chance to end this slide. He’s been looking solid lately, though, and getting the full-time minutes tonight could be precisely what he needs. He scored 23 points on excellent shooting last time GS played Houston, and he’s been effective against this roster.
Overall, we’re not optimistic about the dubs tonight. Without Curry and Draymond, this team is so thin on both ends of the court. The bench has gotten it done in the past, but now that they’re dropping games left and right, we’re skeptical. If Hield can go crazy and tap into a bit of that Curry energy he had earlier, this could stay close. However, rebounding and interior defense will likely be the biggest issues. So we think Houston will take it tonight handily.
Tari Eason Out
Fred VanVleet Questionable
Draymond Green Out
Stephon curry Out
Andrew Wiggins Questionable
Spread: +3.5 GS (-108) / -3.5 HOU (-112)
Total Points: 220.5
Moneyline: GS (+136) / HOU (-162)
Alperen Sengun Over 22.5 Points (-105)
Jonathan Kuminga 6+ Rebounds (+105)
Brandin Podziemski Over 4.5 Assists (-140)
Jalen Green 2+ Steals (+270)