It’s going to be raining threes on Wednesday night as James Harden and the Houston Rockets take on the Splash Brothers and the Golden State Warriors at the Oracle Arena. Which team starts out hot en route to a dominant win? Read on as we give you everything you need to know heading into this explosive encounter.
Looking for more NBA action to fill-in your night? Check out our complete previews for the Lakers vs. Pelicans and Jazz vs. Cavs.
[sc:NBAArticles ]Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Preview
Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland
When: Wednesday, January 21, 10:30 PM ET
Line: Houston Rockets at Golden State Warriors – view all NBA lines
Betting on the Houston Rockets
Welcome to the James Harden show.
[sc:NBA240banner ]Harden scored a season-high 45 points on 12-for-18 shooting Monday night against the Indiana Pacers. He went 7-for-12 from the three-point line and 14-for-15 on foul shots. Harden is an offensive machine for the Rockets, leading the team and the league in points per game (26.6).
What makes Harden so special is the way he embodies the Rockets’ offensive philosophy: threes and shots in the paint. He has shot 54 percent in the paint and has hit 37 percent of his three-pointers this season. Harden is the most effective from the corner three spot, where he has hit 58 percent of his attempts this season.
While Harden takes up much of the Rockets’ scoring load, he can also dish out dimes as well. He averages 6.7 assists per game, a team-high. The Rockets also have other adept three-point shooters for Harden to setup in Trevor Ariza and Patrick Beverly, who both hit 2.4 threes per game.
Harden can also setup Dwight Howard in the paint. Howard has averaged 17.1 points per game this season. Howard is more than just a scoring threat. He can also clean up the boards, averaging 11 rebounds per game (top 10 in the league). The Rockets’ big man may be the X-factor in this game as the Warriors have allowed an average of 49 points in paint over their last three games.
The Rockets are 7-3 ATS in their last 10 games.
Betting on the Golden State Warriors
While the Rockets have Harden taking the reins, the Golden State Warriors are driven by the excellent play of the Splash Brothers.
Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have led the Warriors on an impressive 10-1 (8-2-1 ATS) run, including a 131-106 win over Houston on Saturday. The two each scored 27 points against the Rockets with Thompson being especially lethal from three-point range going 3-for-5. Curry did his best driving toward the basket and inviting contact for some free throws. He went 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in that game.
Curry’s playmaking also had a big role in their success against the Rockets. He had 11 dimes as he repeatedly found the open man. Their frontcourt was another important contributor in their success as David Lee and Marreese Speights scored 18 and 15 points respectively off the bench.
The Warriors also had a big day on the boards on Saturday out-rebounding Houston 49-39. They also held up on their defense as they finished with a total of 11 blocks. Five of those blocks came from Thompson himself.
Thompson should be a capable defender matching up against the Rockets’ Harden. With the Golden State guard in his face, Harden shot 27 percent from the field, including going 0-for-4 from three-point range. Shutting down the Rockets’ main man should help Golden State take this game, so Thompson needs to brace for another big night.
Writer’s Prediction
The Warriors win and cover comfortably against Houston. You can score some buckets (of cash) of your own. All you have to do is create a betting account now and get your picks in before tip-off.
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