Key Players Ready To Step Up For Golden State Cover In Game 2 Against Houston
Game 2: Houston (57-31 SU, 44-41-3 ATS) at Golden State (62-27 SU, 38-50-1 ATS)
When: 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
NBA Pick: Warriors ATS
One might expect Houston to cover in Game 2 because it covered in Game 1 despite shooting poorly from three. The thing is that Houston has been an unspectacular three-point shooting team all season. In the regular season, they ranked 12th in three-point percentage and in the playoffs they rank seventh.
An even bigger problem for Houston is its dependence on James Harden. Golden State defenders did a great job in Game 1 locking him down from behind the arc and employing bigs like Kevin Looney to make him inefficient when driving to the basket. Harden still managed to accrue 35 points in Game 1. However, he was 9-for-28 (32.1%). He's converted less than 40% of his field goals in his past two games and in three of his last four.
Field goal efficiency has been a prolonged problem for Harden in the playoffs, which is partly why he has cultivated a reputation for being a regular season player. This year, he finished the regular season converting 44.2% of his field goals. In the playoffs, that number is down to 36.4%. One reason why Harden's issues with efficiency look to continue is that the refs aren't giving into him when he tries to create contact with the defender on three-point attempts.
Another worry for Houston is its dependence for scoring on Chris Paul, the inefficient Harden, and Eric Gordon. It's true that Houston is giving more minutes to guys off the bench and is playing with a larger rotation. But the Rockets aren't capable of the same scoring balance as Golden State.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">loon dunk?<br>LOON DUNK! <a href="https://t.co/AAxIpvhPQ7">pic.twitter.com/AAxIpvhPQ7</a></p>— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) <a href=" ">April 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The Warriors won Game 1 by once again letting Kevin Durant carry them. He produced 35 points, 17 more than any other Golden State player. He has scored 130 points combined in his past three games while shooting 44% in Game 1 and over 50% in his two games prior. Houston joins the other teams who are unable to guard the tall but mobile and versatile Durant man-to-man. Teams also can't afford to pay too much attention to Durant given how dangerous his teammates are.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have had injury-related concerns. Both were able to play in Game 1, although neither shot the ball well. I expect a fresher version of them and Golden State as a whole. They won on Sunday despite having to finish an unexpectedly difficult series in Los Angeles on Friday night. Houston had a couple extra days of rest. The effects of the Warriors' shorter turnaround were apparent in the unusually high number of sloppy turnovers that they committed and that they won't be guilty of in Game 2.
Curry is more reliable than Harden because he has a stronger history in the playoffs as evidenced by his ability to maintain approximately his field goal percentage in the regular season. He only attempted 12 shots in Game 1. But he's way too good a player to pass up as many shot attempts that he did. Besides Curry and Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodola can reliably contribute double figures, while Green is also an effective facilitator with his great vision and passing.
Game 2: Houston (57-31 SU, 44-41-3 ATS) at Golden State (62-27 SU, 38-50-1 ATS)
When: 10:30 p.m. ET (TNT)
NBA Pick: Warriors ATS
One might expect Houston to cover in Game 2 because it covered in Game 1 despite shooting poorly from three. The thing is that Houston has been an unspectacular three-point shooting team all season. In the regular season, they ranked 12th in three-point percentage and in the playoffs they rank seventh.
An even bigger problem for Houston is its dependence on James Harden. Golden State defenders did a great job in Game 1 locking him down from behind the arc and employing bigs like Kevin Looney to make him inefficient when driving to the basket. Harden still managed to accrue 35 points in Game 1. However, he was 9-for-28 (32.1%). He's converted less than 40% of his field goals in his past two games and in three of his last four.
Field goal efficiency has been a prolonged problem for Harden in the playoffs, which is partly why he has cultivated a reputation for being a regular season player. This year, he finished the regular season converting 44.2% of his field goals. In the playoffs, that number is down to 36.4%. One reason why Harden's issues with efficiency look to continue is that the refs aren't giving into him when he tries to create contact with the defender on three-point attempts.
Another worry for Houston is its dependence for scoring on Chris Paul, the inefficient Harden, and Eric Gordon. It's true that Houston is giving more minutes to guys off the bench and is playing with a larger rotation. But the Rockets aren't capable of the same scoring balance as Golden State.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">loon dunk?<br>LOON DUNK! <a href="https://t.co/AAxIpvhPQ7">pic.twitter.com/AAxIpvhPQ7</a></p>— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) <a href=" ">April 29, 2019</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The Warriors won Game 1 by once again letting Kevin Durant carry them. He produced 35 points, 17 more than any other Golden State player. He has scored 130 points combined in his past three games while shooting 44% in Game 1 and over 50% in his two games prior. Houston joins the other teams who are unable to guard the tall but mobile and versatile Durant man-to-man. Teams also can't afford to pay too much attention to Durant given how dangerous his teammates are.
Steph Curry and Klay Thompson have had injury-related concerns. Both were able to play in Game 1, although neither shot the ball well. I expect a fresher version of them and Golden State as a whole. They won on Sunday despite having to finish an unexpectedly difficult series in Los Angeles on Friday night. Houston had a couple extra days of rest. The effects of the Warriors' shorter turnaround were apparent in the unusually high number of sloppy turnovers that they committed and that they won't be guilty of in Game 2.
Curry is more reliable than Harden because he has a stronger history in the playoffs as evidenced by his ability to maintain approximately his field goal percentage in the regular season. He only attempted 12 shots in Game 1. But he's way too good a player to pass up as many shot attempts that he did. Besides Curry and Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodola can reliably contribute double figures, while Green is also an effective facilitator with his great vision and passing.
