Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Game 7: Picks, Predictions, Odds and Player Props

The Houston Rockets host the Golden State Warriors this evening at 8:30 pm ET. in Game 7 of an NBA Western Conference first round series.

The Rockets forced the final game by convincingly winning Games 5 and 6 by a combined 23 points. After averaging 98 points in the first four games of this series, Houston has averaged 123 in the last two.

That includes a 115-107 win over Golden State in San Francisco Friday night. Fred VanVleet led the Rockets, making their first NBA playoff appearance in five years, with 29 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.

Alperen Sengun added 21 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists, Steven Adams chipped in with 17 points, and Amen Thompson contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.

Houston coach Ime Udoka improved to 5-1 in playoff elimination games. Stephen Curry led the Warriors with 29 points, while trade deadline pickup Jimmy Butler had 27 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists.

The Warriors are back in the playoffs after a two-year hiatus. Coach Steve Kerr is 7-0 in first round series's. That perfect record is on the line tonight.

Read below for more picks and predictions when it comes to tonight's Game 7.

Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets betting picks and predictions

Golden State Warriors +2.5 (-110)

The winning team has been dominant in this series, taking each game by an average of more than 12 points. The closest result was Houston's eight-point Game 6 victory. So, which team will show up, the Golden State squad that roared out to a 3-1 advantage or the Houston side that responded with two impressive performances the last two times out?

Houston has won 11 of its last 14 games at home but just three of its last nine games overall. It is 4-1 against the spread in its previous five contests but just 23-21 ATS at home overall.

Meanwhile, Golden State is just 1-4 against the spread in its last five games but boasts a solid 25-18-1 ATS record on the road. The Warriors have won seven of their last nine games away from home, and 15 of their previous 20 against Houston.

The Rockets are a different team than they have been for most of the last half-decade, and Golden State may be on its last gasp with future Hall-of-Famer Curry. But don't count them out just yet. Kerr is 7-0 in the first round with Golden State for a reason. He knows how to close them out.

And he knows how to best Udoka in a series, having won an NBA title with the Warriors over Udoka's Boston Celtics three years ago.

Look for Game 7 to be a much tighter matchup. Our experts are looking for the Warriors to pull off the mild upset and cover the 2.5-point spread as underdogs in the process.

Stephen Curry Over 26.5 points (-110)

Curry led the Warriors with 29 points in Game six and he leads the team with 24.3 points per game in this series. The 11-time All-Star, two-time league MVP and future Hall-of-Famer has scored 29 or more points three or more times against in the first round.

More importantly, Curry has a history of showing up in Game 7s. In fact, his 32.6 points per game average in five Game 7s is the fourth best in NBA history, behind just Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant.

Curry does not want to go home. Look for him to again lead the Warriors and tally more than 26.5 points against Houston this evening.

Total Over 205.5 (-110)

Although only two of the first six games in this series have totalled more than 205.5 points, it is the last two games. Houston has pushed the tempo and the results should convince them to keep doing the same thing. With everything on the line, look for the two teams to continue to ramp up the pace and offensive production total more than 205.5 points for the third straight game.

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Golden State Warriors v Houston Rockets odds

Golden State Warriors	+115
Houston Rockets	-135
Spread	HOU Rockets -2.5
Total Points	O/U 205.5

Golden State Warriors v Houston Rockets player props

Player Points

Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors)	O/U 26.5
Jimmy Butler (Golden State Warriors)	O/U 23.5
Brandin Podziemski (Golden State Warriors)	O/U 10.5
Alperen Sengun (Houston Rockets)	O/U 21/5
Fred VanVleet (Houston Rockets)	O/U 17.5
Amen Thompson (Houston Rockets)	O/U 14.5

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.