Warriors-Rockets Preview, Odds

Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

The surging Golden State Warriors will travel to the Houston Rockets with a healthy Andrew Bogut and Stephen Curry to continue their four-game winning streak.

Though, playing in Houston draws much of a challenge, considering the team sits on an eight-game losing streak that spans over five seasons long against the Rockets in their building.

Oddsmakers favor the Rockets by a mere 3.5 points (according to JustBet) while the over/under currently stands at 216.

The Warriors (30-17) are statistically the better team and boast a dose of healthy bodies for one of the few times this season. After sitting out two games with a mild ankle sprain (to his surgically repaired ankle), he returned to the lineup in Saturday night’s 113-93 victory to post 29 points to lead all scorers.

In the winning effort, Bogut scored 11 points and registered seven rebounds and three blocks in his third game back from the gruesome leg injury that kept him out of the 2012 season. His biggest contribution came in the 100-97 win against the Mavericks on Jan. 31, when Bogut blocked Brandon Wright on a go-ahead last-second shot in the fourth quarter of the game.

“We are a different basketball team with those guys on the floor,” said head coach Mark Jackson. “Offensively, defensively – it puts everybody in their proper rotational spot. When you start the type of lineup that we start, we have every right to believe that we can win any ballgame we play in.”

The Warriors have shot up in almost all statistical categories since the return of Bogut. They are averaging 108.8 points on a staggering 50.1 percent shooting.

“I just think it is our ability to be united. We are a team that’s together,” Jackson said. “We understand the assignment, we understand the call – when you are together it’s tough to let go of the rope. I konw it’s a semon we have been preaching all year long, but it’s the truth. You don’t stumble into wins. This is a team and we understand what we have to do to continue to win.”

Meanwhile, the Rockets know how to score with the best of them. They currently rank No. 2 in the NBA with 105.1 points per game and have an uptempo offense that can run and gun with the style of play the Warriors possess. It could mean the game could easily see the total score tally above 216 points (the line).