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The Golden State Warriors will take on the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Thursday morning in an NBA playoff match. The winner of that match will advance to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Emirates Cup.
Houston has qualified for the quarterfinals with a 16-8 overall record and a 3-1 record in West Group A. Meanwhile, Golden State finished the regular season with a 14-9 record and a 3-1 record in West Group C.
Previous Matches and Head-to-head
While trading away some veteran players for some younger ones, the Houston Rockets made some surprising trades in the summer, and it has paid off handsomely for the team so far.
A promising young player, Jalen Green, and Alperen Sengun have been critical to the team's success. Green scored 31 points in a crushing defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers.
Houston's current combination of youth and experience has propelled them to the top three in the West. Their unwavering defense, which forces opponents to commit mistakes, has been their lynchpin to success.
The Rockets' performance under Ime Udoka's strategic coaching has been remarkable, as they have improved their team chemistry and won seven of their past ten games. These wins have come against formidable opponents, including the Timberwolves, the Clippers, and the Thunder.
While the Rockets' fourth-best defense has been a major contributor to their success this season—allowing just 106.6 points per game—the offense has been just as potent, averaging 113.6 points per game—and they have covered the spread in an astounding 66.7% of their games played so far.
Steve Kerr remade the Golden State Warriors roster around superstars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green over the summer, and since then, the Warriors have been 11.4 points per 100 when Curry and Green are on the court.
Curry, at 36 years old and a recipient of the Clutch Player of the Year award, has been an integral part of the Warriors' success with his continued pinpoint shooting (45.4% field goal percentage and 36.9% 3-point field goal percentage).
Not only do the Warriors have a superstar pair, but they also have depth thanks to a flexible 12-man rotation that allows head coach Steve Kerr to use players like Buddy Hield and Moses Moody, who have both been solid as of late.
Not only do the Warriors have brilliant players on the court, but they also have the mental advantage heading into this game after beating the Rockets 99-93 last weekend, their fifteenth consecutive victory against Houston in NBA play.
While the Warriors have been scoring 0.5 more points per game than the Rockets this season, they have allowed 2.6 more points on defense and cashed tickets at a little lesser rate, going 14-9-0 ATS.
Houston Rockets x Golden State Team News
As of Thursday before tip-off, Rockets guard Tari Eason will be a game-time decision; he has missed the previous two games while still in concussion protocol.
In addition to Jae'Sean Tate, who is doubtful because of lower back discomfort, Fred VanVleet will not play in this game because of a knee ailment; both players were benched in Monday's victory against the Clippers.
After sitting out games recently—including Saturday's victory over the Rockets—to manage their workload, Curry and Green are expected to be ready to go for this game after making a triumphant comeback to the starting lineup against the Timberwolves.
Moses Moody's availability is unknown because of left knee patellar tendinopathy, Andrew Wiggins' status is labeled as questionable with a right ankle impingement, and De'Anthony Melton is out after ACL surgery.
Our Predictions
Golden State Warriors to win @ 2.11 on Sky247.ng
The Warriors have been on a tear lately, going 4-6 in their previous ten games. That could speak better for their prospects of bringing that dominance to the Toyota Center, where the Rockets are 9-3 on the season.
The Warriors can get another win against this opponent now that Green and Curry are well again; they were injured for a handful of their defeats.
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