Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Prediction: Gutted Warriors host vulnerable Rockets

The NBA caravan is lapping toward the Postseason window and as expected, we have witnessed a lot of fireworks this season. The Postseason is composed of both Play-in and Playoff situations. The Top Six rankings in each Conference get to the Playoffs First Round by default whereas seventh to tenth position teams compete for the remaining two spots. One of the teams that can end up having crunch-time situations, the Golden State Warriors is going to take on the Houston Rockets.

The Warriors enter the game after losing 111:124 against the Lakers despite a 22 points outing by Klay Thompson. Golden State has been in another terrible window, having lost four out of their last five games. They have 30 losses and 29 wins, which places them at the tenth place in the West, making their journey trickier from here. This is not a performance expected from a team that won the championship last season.

Due to Curry’s injury, things have become complicated for the Warriors. They no longer have the defense that brought them the title last season. Jordan Poole has been scoring over 20 a game but he has been inconsistent regularly. Klay Thompson has been hitting the mark and Andrew Wiggins has had some impact, but it hasn’t been anywhere enough to cover the persistent defensive cracks.

The Rockets come into this game after suffering yet another defeat, losing 96:133 against the Thunder in another shoddy display. The team has now lost seven in a row and has 45 losses and just 13 wins. They are one of the worst teams alongside the Spurs, Pistons, and Hornets. This was the exact type of result expected from a team featuring a bunch of sophomores and rookies.

Their offense has taken a big hit after the injury to their leading scorer Jalen Green whereas the hurt on that end was already huge when the team lost leading playmaker and second-best scorer Kevin Porter Jr. Alperen Sengun is developing into a solid all-around big whereas Jabari Smith Jr has a big distance to cover. Let us see how this team develops and if they are able to land everyone’s favorite draft pick Victor Wembanayama.

• Warriors: OUT: Andrew Wiggins, Stephen Curry, Gary Payton II, Andre Iguodala, Ryan Rollins;
• Rockets: OUT: Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Jordan Poole(25+ Points), Klay Thompson(20+ Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Kevon Looney(11-16 Rebounds), Jabari Smith Jr (8-11 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Draymond Green(5-8 Assists), Alperen Sengun(4-6 Assists).

The Warriors have been playing terrible basketball in compared to the standards they set last season. For the Rockets, this season is a ragged one but they won’t mind considering what is at stake for the draft. Anyway, the Warriors played last night and the Rockets come in after a week plus rest. I expect the Warriors to win here and predict a scoreline of 119:110 in the Warriors’ win.