Rockets Host Warriors

The Warriors and Rockets meet Friday night at the Toyota Center.

Two of the Western Conference’s emerging powers collide Friday as the Houston Rockets host the Golden State Warriors.

Tip-off at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.

Both teams currently reside in a playoff position in what is a very compact Western Conference but will be looking to move towards the upper echelons of the bracket sooner rather than later. A win for either side on Friday would be a good place to start.

Golden State (11-8, 5-6 road) enters the game winners of two straight. On Tuesday the Warriors showed their resolve, coming back from a 27-point first half deficit to defeat the Toronto Raptors in Oakland.

The 112-103 victory saw big time performances from the backcourt tandem of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, something Warrior fans have been getting used to these past 13 months or so. Curry finished the game with 27 points, 10 rebounds and five steals. Thompson added 22 points and seven boards.

The Warriors’ two-game winning streak puts paid to a stretch that saw the side lose five of six, with the only victory being a one-point defeat of the New Orleans Pelicans. A win on Friday will really put some momentum behind Mark Jackson’s side.

Houston (13-7, 8-3 home) rides a two-game losing streak into this showdown with the Warriors. Last time out (Wednesday), the Rockets were soundly beaten by the Phoenix Suns, a game that saw James Harden go 0 for 10 from behind the arc and just 3 for 17 all-told.

Harden wasn’t the only player to struggle in that game, but he was the most high-profile. He’ll be looking to return to form when the Rockets take the court at Toyota Center. If Harden does return to form, and if Curry and Thompson shoot the ball like they have been, we could be in for one heck of a shootout.

Houston and Golden State are making similar strides as the season progresses. The Rockets have the one thing the Warriors are lacking though: a formidable center. Andrew Bogut has returned to full fitness but he doesn’t give the Warriors the offensive threat they had hoped for. While that’s fine on nights like Tuesday when the team is shooting well, if Curry and Thompson struggle the team could be in trouble.

Of course, the ever-changeable Dwight Howard isn’t guaranteed to give the Rockets the performance they require on a nightly basis either. Howard is having a quiet time in his first year in Houston.

The center is averaging 16.6 points per game, his lowest since the 2005-06 season. He’s pulling down 12.6 rebounds per game, which is nowhere near his best. He’s also averaging 3.2 turnovers and hasn’t blocked a shot in four games. The Rockets really need Howard to plug in if they’re to make a serious championship push.

Houston will be without Jeremy Lin (knee) and Omer Asik (thigh) on Friday, while Chandler Parsons (back) will be a game time decision. He missed Wednesday’s loss to Phoenix.

The Oakland Tribune is reporting that backup center Jermaine O’Neal is playing with an injured wrist but doesn’t plan on having surgery. He’s likely to feature in a limited role on Friday. Andre Iguodala (hamstring) and Toney Douglas (leg) are both out indefinitely for the Warriors.

Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets odds for 12/06/2013

Betting lines have been slow to emerge for this game, a result of the Rockets’ on-going injury problems no doubt.

At the time of publication, BetOnline has Houston as the favorite playing at home, something history would go along with.

The Rockets won last season’s head-to-head series 3-1. Looking back further, the Rockets have won 17 of the last 20 contests between the two sides. Of course, this is a very different Golden State team (and a very different Houston Rockets team for that matter) so you might do well to throw the history books out the window.

The spread stands at 6.5 and the total at an astronomical 217.5.

Houston (11-7-2 ATS) has fared better against the spread than Golden State (9-8-2 ATS) so far this season but the Warriors are 4-2-0 ATS as an underdog. However, Houston is 8-2-0 ATS in its last 10 home games against Golden State.

Houston (11-9-0) has marginally favored the over this season while Golden State (9-10-0) has just about favored the under. The under is sure to be the favored bet with the total sitting at 217.5, but both teams have some serious firepower so the over is by no means out of the question. That being said, the total has gone under in five of the last seven meetings between the teams and six of the last eight the two have played at Toyota Center.

Following Friday’s game, the Warriors will host the Rockets next Friday (Dec. 13) in the second of three games between the sides this season. The final game, also to be played at Oracle Arena, will take place on February 20.

For a full list of today’s NBA odds, click here.

For updated NBA futures odds, click here.

For updated NBA team prop bets, click here.

For updated NBA player prop bets, click here.