Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Prediction & Betting Tips - NBA

Prediction published on 20/11/2023, 11:31  by Joseph King | Modified on 20/11/2023 at 11:32 in NBA Predictions

The struggling 10th-place Golden State Warriors play host to the seventh-placed Houston Rockets for this Western Conference showdown in the NBA. The Warriors continue to spiral as things keep on getting worse for the 2021/22 champions. Golden State lost 130-123 at home in overtime to the Thunder in their most recent contest, a result which extended their losing streak to six consecutive games. They’re now 6-8 on the year, two games below .500 and trailing the first place Timberwolves by four games. The only silver lining from their most recent defeat was the return of Stephen Curry to the team after the two-time MVP missed two games with soreness in his knee. Curry dropped 25 points including sinking five of 11 from three-point range in the loss. The Dubs will still be without defensive anchor Draymond Green who continues to serve his five game suspension after putting Rudy Gobert  in a chokehold.

Houston looks completely transformed under head coach Ime Udoka, especially on the defensive end where they have seen a dramatic increase in their efficiency. The Rockets saw their impressive six game winning streak come to an end in the team’s 106-100 defeat to the Clippers. They would then lose by a single point to the Lakers in a 105-104 final score making it two straight defeats on the road to the Los Angeles teams. Houston is now 6-5 on the year with all six of their wins coming on home soil and and four of their five defeats coming as the visiting team. Even in games that they’ve lost this season, the Rockets stingy defense has allowed them to remain competitive. They rank third in the NBA in terms of opponent points allowed per game at 105.7 and have the best three-point defense in the NBA (31.8%).  Three of their five losses have come by single-digit margins.