Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Predictions, Picks and Preview – 2016 NBA Playoffs – Western Conference First Round Game Five – April 27, 2016

The Golden State Warriors have a chance to finish off this series at home, owning a 3-1 lead over the Houston Rockets. The only problem is they’ll have to do it without their MVP Stephen Curry, who’s been ruled out for at least two weeks due to a Grade 1 sprain of the MCL in his right knee.

The Rockets are still dangerous as long as James Harden can get hot, while Dwight Howard locks down the paint. Can they take advantage of a Curry-less Golden State squad? The Warriors are still tough outs due to their depth, and they’ll play at home where they’ve gone 41-2 dating back to the regular season.

Read on as we take a look at this tasty Rockets vs. Warriors Game 5. For more on the NBA, check out our complete previews for the Blazers vs. Clippers and Hornets vs. Heat.

NBA News & Predictions

2017 NBA Draft Expert Picks and Predictions

2017 NBA Draft Sleepers

2017-18 NBA Championship Odds Update

Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Game 5 Preview

Where: Oracle Arena, Oakland

When: Wednesday, April 27, 10:30 PM ET

Line: Houston Rockets (+9.5) at Golden State Warriors (-9.5); total 211.5 – view all NBA lines

TV Broadcast: TNT

Betting on the Houston Rockets

If the Houston Rockets are to keep this series going, it’s going to fall in the hands of James Harden. The Rockets guard is averaging 24.5 points but on 37.7 percent shooting in the series. He’s also showed off his playmaking ability, dishing out a total of 30 assists over the last three games. Harden will need to be the complete package in Game 5 in order to bring this series back to Houston.

Harden is solid and all, but he won’t have as much success if not for Dwight Howard. The big man has double-doubles in all four games of the series. He’s averaging 14.5 points and 12.3 boards. He’s shooting 65.7 percent, but the Rockets haven’t been able to allow him to shoot more than 10 shots in this series.

For Howard to open up inside, the Rockets’ wingers will need to step up to draw opponents to the perimeter. Small forward Trevor Ariza has been disappointing, scoring just 7.8 points per game this postseason. Michael Beasley has picked up the slack with 13 points per game on 51.6 percent shooting in the past three games.

The Rockets are 3-6 ATS in their last nine games at Golden State.

Betting on the Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors may have suffered a setback with Stephen Curry’s MCL sprain. Their fans and backers shouldn’t be too concerned, though. The Warriors beat the Rockets at home 115-106 without Curry in Game 2. They also beat the Rockets in Game 4 with Curry just contributing six points on 2 of 9 shooting before the injury.

The Warriors should be just fine without their MVP. They still have one half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson. He exploded for 23 points on 8 of 15 shooting, including 7 of 11 from three-point territory in Game 4. Draymond Green also had a pretty big game with 18 points on 7 of 12 shooting. Reigning Finals MVP Andre Iguodala also had some big performances in this series with 22 points in Game 4 and 18 points at home in Game 2.

When it comes to playmaking, Green has been Golden State’s go-to guy. He leads the team with 6.3 assists per game this postseason. He was two assists shy of a triple-double in Game 2 after racking up 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The Warriors have been dominant at home recently, going a perfect 4-0 SU/ATS in their last four at Oracle Arena.

Writer’s Prediction

The Warriors close off the series, but Houston manages to cover +9.5.

Create a betting account now and win as much as you can in the thrilling NBA Playoffs.