Golden State Warriors (68-28 SU, 41-54-1 ATS) vs. Houston Rockets (75-21 SU, 49-46-1 ATS)
Time: Thursday, May 24th, 2018 – 9:00 PM EDT
Where: Toyota Center – Houston, TX
TV: TNT
by Keith, Professional NBA Handicapper, Predictem
Odds Golden State -115 Houston -105
Point Spread: Houston -1
Total Line: 219
The Golden State Warriors will square off with the Houston Rockets for Game Five of the Western Conference Finals. The contest will come live from the Toyota Center on Thursday, May 24th, 2018 at 9:00 PM ET. The affair will be broadcasted to national audiences on TNT. So far this series has been one of the more evenly-matched ones in all of the playoffs. Both teams have won both on the road and at home, presently sharing a 2-2 score in this best of seven. In Game Four, emotions ran high as Chris Paul led the Rockets to a 95-92 victory in The O after they were dominated in Game Three by Stephen Curry and the Warriors.
With the contest becoming a virtual best-of-three after the deadlock, the Rockets will get the opportunity to hone their home court advantage here to move ahead 3-2 if they secure a win here against the Warriors. After Game Four, the Clutch City faithful were called to arms to help their Rockets get a win in Game Five.
There are an array of betting trends worth gazing at in this contest. First and foremost, the Rockets are a juggernaut at home as they are 40-9 SU in Houston. Golden State sits at a respective 32-15 SU on the road. In matches between both sides, the away team sits as a viable choice as the visitors are 9-5 SU in the previous fourteen fixtures between these two rivals. The Under has gone 4-1 ATS in the last five fixtures between Houston and Golden State.
The Warriors feature a broad array of personnel that knows how to excel at the highest level of competition. With Curry, Green, Durant, Thompson, and Iguodala comprising their starting five, all of these players have won at least one NBA Championship. Also, a vast majority were contributors to this squad that has appeared in three consecutive NBA Finals, winning two of these three aforementioned series against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Golden State seemingly has met their match in this series as Houston has returned the serve every time the Warriors earn an emphatic win. In the playoffs, in particular, the Warriors are virtually unbeatable at home. However, the Rockets will enter this contest with extra momentum as they erased a ten-point deficit in the fourth quarter to get the much-needed victory.
From out of the gate, there has been a lean on the Warriors reflected in 55% of the public cash and 65% of the ticket action coming in on Golden State in Game Five. Despite this, the line has yet to move. In Over/Under markets, we have seen a similar scenario unfold. To counter this, 81% of the cash and 76% of the tickets are presently in on the Over in this position.
At this point, the Western Conference Finals seems set to travel the distance to a climactic Game Seven. The Rockets’ defense was as big of a star in Game Four as any, as they held the Warriors to just 12 points after falling behind by the double-digit point total early in the fourth quarter. This is exceptionally remarkable considering the Warriors have broken the 100-point threshold in the previous nine games between these two over a ten-game sample including Game Four. Houston has a blueprint to work off of and with an emblazoned Houston crowd behind them, home court advantage can truly be on the table here in Game Five. The fact remains Houston is poised to be one of the most undervalued top-seeds in this particular position given the fact their opponent is known as the team to beat in all of the NBA. Take advantage and spot the point.
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