If the Golden State Warriors manage to defeat the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs, it shouldn’t be considered an upset.
The Warriors are -190 at BetMGM are favored to win the series, despite being the No. 7 seed. The Warriors secured their spot by defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 121-116 in the play-in game on Tuesday night. This makes them only the second No. 7 seed to be favored over a No. 2 seed in the first round since 1988, with this scenario occurring twice in the last five seasons. In 2021, the No. 7 Lakers were favored over the No. 2 seed Suns after winning the 2020 NBA title.
Phoenix went on to win that series in six games and advanced to the NBA Finals, where they were ultimately defeated by the Milwaukee Bucks.
The most favored outcome in the series is a Warriors win in six games. Betting on a 4-2 Warriors victory carries odds of +310, while a five-game win is at +450. The Rockets are +160 overall to win the series, with the most favored Rockets outcome being a Game 7 win at +500.
Houston is considered the underdog due to their lack of playoff experience. Guard Fred VanVleet is an NBA champion, having won the 2019 Finals with the Toronto Raptors. However, this is Houston’s first playoff appearance since 2020, with players like Alperen Şengün, Jalen Green, and Amen Thompson making their playoff debuts.
On the other hand, the Warriors boast the talents of Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Since acquiring Jimmy Butler from the Miami Heat at the trade deadline, Golden State has been exceptional, winning 23 of the 30 games with Butler on the roster.
During the regular season, the Warriors won three out of the five games against the Rockets, although Houston claimed the most recent victory. On April 6, the Rockets defeated Golden State 106-96, with Curry having one of his worst performances of the season, shooting just 1-of-10 from the field and 1-of-8 from behind the arc.