Last Updated on January 20, 2017 8:49 pm by Brad Burns
Breakneck pace expected at Toyota Center
At 33-12, Houston clearly has the attention of the basketball world. But can Mike D’Antoni’s no-holds-barred attack find success against the class of the Western Conference this evening?
The Rockets and Warriors meet up in the Lone Star State at 8 p.m. ET. Online sports book Bovada.lv gives Golden State odds of -235 to handle its business on the road. Conversely, James Harden’s gang represents a +195 underdog.
On Wednesday, the Rockets again used their weapon of choice to subdue Milwaukee 111-92. At the halfway mark of the season, Houston’s launched 540 more 3-pointers than the opposition. Harden leads all NBAers with 406 attempts beyond the arc. Equally important, though, is his growth as a complete player. In addition to a mesmerizing scoring output, the 27-year-old currently averages 11.6 assists and 8.3 rebounds.
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No strangers to perimeter brilliance, the Dubs (36-6) are riding a five-game winning streak. They rank first in the league in offensive rating (113.4), steals (397) and blocks (264), among numerous other statistical categories. However, a valuable member of the rotation went down during the squad’s 121-100 triumph vs. Oklahoma City two nights ago. Veteran forward David West suffered a non-displaced fracture of his left thumb and will miss at least the next seven contests.
The last time these clubs met, Houston emerged with a 132-127 victory. But asking D’Antoni’s troops to do the same here seems unrealistic. Golden State’s positively soaring, whereas the host team’s simply trying to navigate a brutal January stretch. Bank on Steve Kerr’s bunch accordingly.
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