The Houston Rockets (21-9) look to continue their six-game road winning streak in a matchup against the Golden State Warriors (7-24) at Chase Center. The game gets underway at 5 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 25, 2019.
The game’s Over/Under (O/U) opened at 228 points with Houston set as a 10.5-point favorite.
Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Free Prediction
The Rockets will be looking for similar success after covering the 6-point spread against the Sacramento Kings in their last contest, 113-104. The game’s combined points (217) finished under the projected point total of 230. The Rockets forced 17 turnovers and had a better free throw rate (0.230 vs. 0.172). With 34 points on 10-for-19 shooting, James Harden was the top scorer from either team.
In the Warriors’ previous matchup, they defeated the Minnesota Timberwolves, 113-104, easily covering as 1-point favorites. The game’s combined points (217) were under the projected point total of 220.5. The Warriors had a great offensive rebounding percentage of 29.5 (above their season average of 22.9) and had a free throw rate of 0.291 (above their season average of 0.215). With 25 points and eight assists, Golden State’s Alec Burks played well.
This will be the second game of the season between these two squads. Harden scored a game-high 36 points in the first matchup, in which the Rockets beat the Warriors 129-112, covering as 16-point favorites. He also recorded 13 assists. The game finished with a total of 241 points, which was 12.5 points above the projected point total of 228.5 points. Houston’s effective field goal percentage was its largest strength over Golden State. The Rockets had a rate of 0.603 while the Warriors posted a mark of 0.464.
Houston comes into the game with records of 21-9 straight up (SU) and 16-14 against the spread (ATS). Of the Rockets’ 30 games, 17 have gone under the projected point total.
Meanwhile, Golden State is 7-24 SU and 14-17 ATS. Just over half of Warriors games have also finished under the O/U total.
Houston could dominate on the offensive side of the ball as their prolific offense goes up against one of the worst defenses in the league. The Rockets rank third in offensive efficiency, while Golden State ranks 23rd in defensive efficiency.
Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Free Pick
Pick: ATS Winner – Rockets, O/U – Under
Betting Trends
Houston is 10-6 ATS on the road with 10 unders and 6 overs.
At home, Golden State is 6-8 ATS with 9 unders and 5 overs.
Houston is 2-0 when they hold opponents under 100 points, while Golden State is 3-1.
The Rockets are 21-8 when they reach the century mark, while the Warriors are 7-15.
Houston ranks first in three pointers attempted per game (45.0) while Golden State ranks 28th (28.9).
The Rockets rank fourth in points off turnovers per game (19.1) while the Warriors rank 23rd in points off turnovers allowed per game (18.8).
Houston ranks sixth in fast break points per game (15.0) while Golden State ranks 23rd in fast break points allowed per game (14.2).
The Rockets rank fifth in rebounds per game (47.2) while the Warriors rank 22nd (43.6).
Houston ranks fourth in steals per game (8.4) while Golden State ranks 19th in steals allowed per game (8.0).
The Warriors average 23.9 assists per game, which ranks 15th in the NBA. The Rockets rank 27th in assists allowed per game (25.8).
Houston ranks 18th in points in the paint per game (46.7) while Golden State ranks 27th (44.1).
The Rockets rank seventh in second chance points per game (14.2) while the Warriors rank 16th in second chance points allowed per game (13.4).
Houston ranks 14th in blocks per game (5.0) while Golden State ranks 22nd in blocks allowed per game (5.6).
Over its last five outings, Houston is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs.
Golden State is 3-2 ATS with 3 unders and 2 overs over its last five games.
The Rockets’ average margin of victory in their last five games has been 4.4, down from 5.8 for the season.
During their last five games, the Warriors have scored an average of 103.2 points per game (1.7 below their season average) and allowed an average of 108.4 points per game (4.9 below their season average).
