Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Prediction, Odds and Picks for Tomorrow, 04/20/25

We are getting an absolute treat in the 1st Round of the West Playoffs as Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler and the Warriors take on the feisty, young and inexperienced Rockets. These two teams already played each other 5 times this season, with the Warriors coming out on top in 3 of those games. Points were hard to come by in 4 of those games, while only two of them were played after the Butler trade. It’s no secret that more people than not actually like this match-up for the Warriors who have owned Houston over the years, winning 15 games in a row at one point. That streak ended earlier this season, but it’s hard to argue with the advantages the Warriors have.

Houston’s biggest issue is that they don’t have a clear cut number one option on the team, for moments when the games are on the line. Some nights it’ll be Dillon Brooks, then Fred VanVleet will give it a go and then Jalen Green will take over. Depth is always good to have, but unlike in the regular season the rotations shrink in the playoffs and your top 7 guys will play the bulk of the minutes. The one advantage the Rockets will exploit here is Alperen Sengun at the center position. He crushed the glass in the 5 meetings during the regular season, averaging 11.2 boards per game while also putting up an efficient 17 points per game. But at the tender age of just 22, can he put up with the antics of Draymond Green and co. down low?

I’m expecting a hard fought series, 4 of the 5 games saw at least one team finish under 100 points, while 2 of them saw both. With the pace slowing down significantly in the postseason and these being the 5th and 7th best ranked defenses, I am aiming for the under in the series opener. The projected total of 213 points was surpassed only once this regular season, with the other 4 games averaging just 194.5 points. Back the under.

Warriors vs Rockets Game 1 Predictions: Under 213 is available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.