Are oddsmakers disrespecting the Rockets against the Warriors?
For The Hoops crew discuss whether oddsmakers are disrespecting the Rockets by favoring the Warriors in their matchup.
Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors earned a spot in the first round of the NBA playoffs with a victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.
The Houston Rockets don’t have a premier superstar on the roster, but they finished with a 52-30 record and earned the second seed in the Western Conference.
The Warriors, who won three of the five games between the two teams this season, added Jimmy Butler prior to the trade deadline. He helped turn things around for Golden State.
Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green and the Rockets found a level of consistency throughout the season with the core roster, but with several young players, there’s a lack of playoff experience that could come into play.
USA TODAY Sports will provide updates, scores and highlights from Game 1 of the Warriors-Rockets series:
- Warriors 69, Rockets 60 (End 3rd)
The Golden State Warriors used a 14-3 second-quarter run to take a 47-34 halftime lead in a low-scoring Game 1. The Rockets’ poor shooting (38%) and 11 turnovers led to the deficit.
Stephen Curry hit two of his five 3-point attempts and finished the first half with 16 points. Jimmy Butler had 12 for Golden State along with four assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
Alperen Sengun is the only Rockets player in double figures with 16 points. Houston shot 2-12 from 3 and missed all four of its free throw attempts, but did most of their damage inside with 26 points in the paint.
The No. 2 seed Houston Rockets and the No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors are scheduled to tip off Game 1 at 9:30 p.m. ET Sunday.
- Time: 9:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Toyota Center in Houston
- TV: TNT
- Stream: Fubo
Watch Rockets vs. Warriors with Fubo
