The Golden State Warriors (4-1) take on the Houston Rockets (3-2) Saturday at Toyota Center. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NBA odds around the Warriors vs. Rockets odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.
Season series: First meeting; Warriors won 3-0 last year
The Stephen Curry-less Warriors took both home games against the New Orleans Pelicans Tuesday and Wednesday by 124-106 and 104-89 scores. The Dubs had 6 players in double figures Wednesday, and F Buddy Hield led with 21 off the bench. F Andrew Wiggins missed both games with a lower-back strain, but he’ll return Saturday. He leads the Dubs with 19.7 points per game.
The Rockets went 2-1 in their in-state road trip as they lost once at the San Antonio Spurs 109-106, beat them Monday 106-101 and won in Dallas 108-102 Halloween night as 6.5-point dogs. G Jalen Green led the way Thursday with 23 points, 12 boards and 4 dimes. C Alperen Sengun chipped in 17 points and 12 boards.
Warriors at Rockets odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list of NBA odds. Lines last updated at at 10:20 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Warriors +195 (bet $100 to win $195) | Rockets -250 (bet $250 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Warriors +5.5 (-105) | Rockets -5.5 (-115)
- Over/Under (O/U): 217.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Warriors at Rockets key injuries
Warriors
- G Stephen Curry (ankle) out
- G De’Anthony Melton (back) out
Rockets
- None
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
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Warriors at Rockets picks and predictions
Prediction
Rockets 109, Warriors 104
Moneyline
The Warriors have won 13 straight regular-season meetings against Houston. That ends Saturday. Wiggins is the only thing resembling a go-to option for Golden State. He has been wildly inconsistent with 11, 13, 20, 10 and 29 points thus far. Even then, G Dillon Brooks is a solid perimeter defender to keep him in check.
That said, we’re not taking Houston at -250. Instead, ALPEREN SENGUN OVER 10.5 REBOUNDS (-110) really sticks out. The Dubs don’t have the clientele to body him up. He had 30 points and 13 boards in his last game against them and has 12+ boards in 4 of 5 games thus far.
Against the spread
I like the WARRIORS +5.5 (-105) here. They’re 2-0 on the road and 4-1-0 ATS thus far. Again, they’ve beaten the Rockets 13 straight times, and while they don’t have a crunch-time option, they spread the ball around. F Jonathan Kuminga can provide a spark off the bench to keep it close.
Over/Under
The Rockets are 1-4 O/U thus far, and the Dubs are 2-3. Houston is 7th in defensive rating in the league, and it’s also near the bottom at 29th with a 40.8 field-goal percentage.
I’ll take the UNDER 217.5 (-110).
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