NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets – Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024

The Golden State Warriors (14-9) seek their third consecutive win over the Houston Rockets (16-8) when they battle in the NBA Cup Quarterfinals on Wednesday, December 11 at 9:30 PM ET. Check out the action at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, where the Rockets are slightly favored with a point spread at -2.5 (-115).

Golden State Warriors Betting Preview

The Warriors have gone 2-3 over their last five games and are coming off of a 114-106 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. After starting off with just 21 points in the first quarter, they finally erupted for 44 points in the third quarter to get them back in the lead.

Their offense was led by Steph Curry, who had 30 points and eight assists. Buddy Hield was not far behind, with seven threes, to finish with 27 points. Funny enough, Hield made more threes than Curry (five), which does not happen often when you have the best three-point shooter of all-time on the roster.

Both teams were similar on paper, with the only major difference being turnovers (Warriors with 13 and Timberwolves with 16) and rebounds (Warriors 45 to Timberwolves’ 39). Other than that, this game was extremely close when looking at the stats.

The Warriors rank 11th in the league for averaging 114.1 points a game. On defense they are at sixth for allowing their opponents to reach 109.2 points a game. This spread is a solid margin, but they must continue their efforts at separating the two averages.

Houston Rockets Betting Preview

The Rockets were able to break their two-game losing streak with a recent victory, which was a 117-106 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. They had three straight quarters compiling 30 points or better before cooling off in the fourth.

Jalen Green led with 31 points and shot 45 percent from the field. Amen Thompson had a great game too, as he added 22 points on 64 percent shooting. The two of them will need a big offensive game against the Warriors to keep one step ahead.

They made 48.8 percent of their shots overall and connected on 36.6 percent from deep. This was slightly better than what they allowed the Clippers to achieve, but was clearly enough to stay ahead and clinch the victory.

The Rockets are putting up 113.6 points a game and rank 13th overall for that output. Their defense has been great, as they rank third for giving up 106.6 points a game to opponents.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

MyBookie has you set with the best NBA Cup Quarterfinals odds, which favors the Rockets by 2.5-points. According to market insights, the Rockets have a 53.9 percent chance of winning outright.

The Rockets have a better margin of victory compared to the Warriors. But, they have yet to find a way to beat them in the two times they have met. Look for the Warriors to keep this close.

Final Pick: Golden State Warriors +2.5 (-105)