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Game 2 Western Conference Finals

Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets

Houston -1.5; Total: 22.45

 

The Rockets came with their best punch in Game 1 as James Harden lead all scorers with 41 points on 14-of-24 (58%) shooting and Chris Paul recorded a double-double, scoring 23 points with 11 rebounds, three assists and one steal while shooting nearly 50-percent from the floor.  Unfortunately, the Warriors, when healthy, have just too many weapons for the Rockets to defend as Kevin Durant scored a team high 37 points, Klay Thompson scored 28 and Steph Curry chipped in with 18 points on a night where he shot an uncharacteristically poor 1-for-5 from three-point range.  If the Rockets are going to tie up the series in Game 2 they will need help from the likes of Eric Gordon and Gerald Green off the bench.  Gordon did score 15 points in Game 1 but that is just not nearly enough, especially if we expect Steph Curry to have a better shooting performance in Game 2.

Golden State Warriors

  • Warriors shot 39% from three-point range during Game 1.  That is with their best three-point shooter in Steph Curry going just 1-for-5 from beyond-the-arc. 
  • This postseason the Warriors as a team currently rank 14th of the 16 playoff teams in three-point shooting percentage at 33.3-percent.  They are also the worst among the remaining four playoff teams.
  • Despite their efficiency woes from three-point range the Warriors rank fifth in three-point attempts this postseason as a team but again rank last among the remaining playoff teams.
  • The Warriors rank first in points per game this postseason at 111.1 points while the Rockets rank third at 109.2 points per game.
  • The Warriors rank 1st in assists per game this postseason among all playoff teams while the Rockets sit in 11th place averaging nearly eight fewer assists per game.
  • The Warriors rank third in pace of play this postseason, averaging 101.7 possessions per game.

Players to Watch

Kevin Durant: Durant lead the Warriors in scoring in Game 1 with 37 points.  This postseason he is averaging 28.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 2.0 three-pointers per game while shooting 49.6-percent from the floor.

Klay Thompson: Thompson scored 28 points during the Warriors Game 1 win over the Rockets which included going 6-for-15 from three-point range.  This postseason Thompson is averaging 21.8 points and 3.1 three-pointers per game while shooting 45.6-percent from the floor and 38.2-percent from beyond-the-arc.

Steph Curry: Curry struggled in Game 1, shooting just 1-for-5 from three-point range but still finished with 18 points, six rebounds and eight assists.  This postseason he is averaging 23.2 points per game and is shooting 48.8-percent from the floor and 41-percent from three-point range.

 

Houston Rockets

  • The Rockets shot 35.1-percent from three-point range and just 45.9-percent from the floor during their Game 1 loss to the Warriors.
  • This postseason the Rockets are shooting 35-percent from three-point range and just 44.7-percent from the floor which ranks them 11th and 12th respectively among playoff teams this postseason.
  • James Harden has a 38.4-percent usage rate this postseason which leads the Rockets.  Chris Paul is second on the team with a 28.2-percent usage rate and Eric Gordon who comes off the bench is third with a usage rate of 21.1-percent.
  • Despite having one of the leagues top point guards in Chris Paul, the Rockets rank 11th in total assists among playoff teams this postseason at just 20.4 assists per game.
  • The Rockets will be playing up in pace against the Warriors who rank 3rd in pace of play as the Rockets rank 9th among postseason teams with 98.5 possessions per game.

Players to Watch

James Harden: Harden scored a game high 41 points in the Rockets Game 1 loss to the Warriors.  This postseason Harden is averaging 29.6 points per game and as stated above he owns a 38-percent usage rate this postseason.  If Harden does not have another 40-plus point effort in Game 2 the Rockets could be out of this one by half time.

Chris Paul: The double-double in Game 1 was nice but the fact that it came from points and rebounds instead of points and assists in the problem for the Rockets. Paul is one of the leagues best passers and for him to have just three assists in Game 1 speaks volumes to the struggles the Rockets have on offense outside of the two-man show of Harden and Paul.  I look for Paul to have another 20-plus point scoring night but the Rockets will have a shot at winning if he can put up closer to 10-plus assists as well.

Eric Gordon and Gerald Green: I am lumping these two together because they are the scoring punch the Rockets desperately need off the bench.  Gordon scored 15 points in Game 1 while Green was held to just six points.  If the Rockets want to come out of Game 2 with a victory they need to match the fire power the Warriors have, and Gordon and Green can give them that threat with their three-point shooting ability.

Pre-Game Props

Q1: The last made shot of the 1st Quarter will be a three-pointer.

Though both teams have struggled to shoot the three ball this postseason I am going to go with a YES for my answer here.  The majority of the shots taken by both these teams come from three-point land and it would only make sense for a three-pointer to be the shot that ends the 1st quarter.

Q2: Kevin Durant or James Harden will record or assists on the first made field goal of the game.

I am going to go with a YES on this answer as both lead their respective teams in usage rate and especially if the Rockets win the tip I expect Harden to get the first two points for Houston who should be looking to get an early jump on Golden State here.

Q3: Chris Paul records more assists than Steph Curry in the 1st Quarter.

I am going to go win a NO for this answer.  Paul had just three assists in Game 1 and is averaging just 6.1 assists per game this postseason.  The Warriors have more weapons for Curry to feed the ball to and for that reason he should have more assists.

Q4: Houston outscores Golden State in the 1st Quarter.

I am going with NO for this one. The Warriors when completely healthy are a matchup nightmare for all teams, including the Rockets.  As much as the Rockets will come out firing to start Game 2 I still expect the Warriors to have the lead and take control of this one.

Q5: Either team commits a turnover by the 10:30 mark.

I am going with YES for this one and the turnover comes from the Rockets side of things.  The Warriors are actually the top defensive team in the playoffs so far in terms of defensive rating and James Harden is very turnover prone.

Q6: The Golden State Warriors win the opening tip off.

Kevin Durant took the tip against Clint Capela to start Game 1 and the Rockets took possession.  While Capela may have gotten the jump in Game 1, I will be going with Kevin Durant here in Game 2 as the Warriors gain possession to begin the game.