The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets collide at Toyota Center for Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series.
The teams have met in the playoffs four times in the past decade, with the Dubs coming out on top each time, but this year’s version has a different vibe with Houston near the top of the NBA standings and Golden State just barely sneaking into the postseason.
If the Dubs are going to find success in Game 1, they’ll need Jimmy Butler to keep producing. He highlights my Warriors vs. Rockets props and NBA picks for Sunday, April 20.
Best Warriors vs Rockets props
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Butler Over 21.5 points (-125 at bet365) - Curry Under 4.5 threes (-115 at bet365)
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Sengun to record a double-double (-155 at bet365)
Warriors vs Rockets player props for April 20
Jimmy Butler Over 21.5 points (-125 at bet365)
It hasn’t been the most comfortable year for Jimmy Butler, who left the Heat after a tumultuous breakup to join the Golden State Warriors mid-season.
Even with the Warriors, Butler never reached his peak — until the final week of the regular season.
Butler averaged just 17.9 ppg in 30 games with Golden State but seemed to turn a switch over the last couple of weeks. The 35-year-old scored 24+ points in each of his final four contests, including 38 in the play-in game against the Grizzlies on Tuesday.
And make no mistake, postseason Butler is a real thing. The 14-season veteran has scored 18.3 ppg during his career in the regular season, but that number jumps up to 21.3 in the playoffs.
Butler cemented his reputation as a playoff performer in 2021/22 and 2022-23 with the Heat, averaging about 27 ppg during both of those postseason runs while helping Miami reach the NBA Finals two years ago.
We’ve seen some glimpses of prime Jimmy Buckets recently, and I think he’ll be back for Game 1 tonight.
Steph Curry Under 4.5 threes (-115 at bet365)
Four NBA championships, two regular season MVP awards, and one NBA Finals MVP award.
However, at 37 years old, the future Hall of Famer is no longer the same player he used to be, and I think the Rockets can limit his 3-point damage in Game 1.
Curry averaged 4.4 threes per game this season but finished the year at 39.7% from long range — just the second time in his career that he’s dipped under 40% during a full season.
He also faces a tall task against a stout Houston Rockets defense. Houston ranked third in defensive efficiency (1.069), sixth in opponent points per game (109.8), and second in both opponent threes made (12.3) and attempted (34.5).
The Rockets have done a great job at defending the perimeter, with athletic forwards like Amen Thompson and Dillon Brooks leading the way. They’ve already done a good job this year against Curry, as he went 1-for-8 from long range on April 6 and hit three treys or fewer in two of three meetings this season.
Houston knows Curry is Golden State’s main weapon, and I expect the Rockets to do their best to shut him down in this series.
Alperen Sengun to record a double-double (-155 at bet365)
At just 22 years of age, Alperen Sengun has already emerged as one of the best centers in the NBA.
The fourth-year pro finished the season with 45 double-doubles, tied for seventh among all players and fourth among centers, and looks poised to carry that dominance into the postseason.
This particular matchup is one that Sengun seems to enjoy, as he snagged four double-doubles in five meetings against the Warriors this season, including 19 points and 14 rebounds against Golden State on April 6. The Houston center came just two rebounds shy of reaching the mark in his lone miss on December 5.
The Dubs have been a solid rebounding team, ranking seventh in total rebounds per game (45.4). However, it’s their defensive rebounding that can be lacking, as the Warriors sit 19th in that department (32.8).
Sengun finished 10th in the NBA with 3.4 offensive boards per game, so I’m expecting him to do some damage on the Golden State glass en route to another double-double in the series opener.
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