Game of the Night – Rockets at Warriors – 10:30 PM EST – ESPN
For the second time in four nights, Golden State and Houston hook up as the Warriors seek their 10th consecutive victory. The Warriors (61-14 SU, 35-38-2 ATS) are coming off probably their most impressive win of the season on Wednesday at San Antonio by overcoming a 22-point deficit in a 110-98 triumph as 4 ½-point underdogs. Golden State fell into an early 23-3 hole, but the Warriors rallied behind the “Splash Brothers” as Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to score 52 points.
Houston (51-24 SU, 42-33 ATS) heads down to Oakland following Thursday’s 117-101 defeat at Portland. James Harden knocked down only 2-of-13 attempts from long distance for Houston, but still managed a team-high 30 points. The Rockets own a dynamic 13-1 SU and 10-4 ATS record with no rest this season, as eight of those victories came away from the Toyota Center.
When these teams met on Tuesday in Houston, the Warriors jumped out to a 37-20 advantage after one quarter and cruised to a 113-106 victory as 1 ½-point underdogs. Harden posted a triple-double in the loss for Houston, but the All-Star guard was held to 5-for-20 shooting from the floor, including hitting just 1-of-9 attempts from three-point range. The road team has won two of three meetings this season, as Houston knocked off Golden State in double-overtime at Oracle Arena in December.
Thunderous Comebacks
Oklahoma City has managed to survive without Kevin Durant this season, as Russell Westbrook continues to post off-the-chart numbers. Westbrook drilled the game-tying three-pointer to force overtime in Wednesday’s 114-106 overtime triumph at Orlando, the second consecutive win in which the Thunder overcame a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter. The MVP candidate also scored 57 points, while recording his 38th triple-double of the season.
The Thunder return home to face the Spurs in a second-round rematch from last season in which OKC knocked out San Antonio in six games. OKC is riding an 8-2 run since a four-game skid, while splitting a pair of games with the Spurs this season. San Antonio has lost consecutive games only three times this season, coming off Wednesday’s meltdown against Golden State, while the Spurs own a dreadful 5-11 ATS record in the last 16 games overall.
The Wizards wrapped up their first division title in 38 years by rallying past the Lakers on Tuesday, 119-108. Washington allowed 133 points the next night in Los Angeles in a nine-point defeat to the Clippers, while eclipsing the OVER for the fourth straight game. The Wizards have given up at least 108 points in nine of their last 10 road contests, as Scott Brooks’ club continues their five-game away swing in Utah.
The Jazz have won three of four since a three-game losing streak as Utah crushed Sacramento on Wednesday, 112-82. George Hill is expected to miss his second consecutive game with a groin injury, as the Jazz are 3-0 in the past three contests without their starting point guard. Utah handled Washington at the Verizon Center in their last matchup, 102-92 on February 26. Gordon Hayward led the Jazz with 30 points as Utah outrebounded Washington, 50-28.
DeMarcus Cousins squares off against his former team for the first time as the Pelicans host the Kings. New Orleans owns a 9-9 record since acquiring Cousins from Sacramento at the All-Star break, including five consecutive home victories. The Pelicans failed to cover in Wednesday’s 121-118 victory over Dallas as six-point favorites, as New Orleans is listed as a double-digit favorite for only the second time this season.
Sacramento pulled off a pair of one-point triumphs over the Clippers and Grizzlies earlier this week, but the Kings were run by the Jazz on Wednesday by 30 points. The Kings have cashed in four of their past six contests away from Golden 1 Center, while beating the Pelicans twice at home prior to the All-Star break.
Indiana sits in a tie for the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference alongside Miami heading into tonight’s action. However, the Pacers are going in the wrong direction by dropping four of their last five games, including Wednesday’s 110-97 setback at Memphis. Indiana has lost back-to-back games only twice since the All-Star break as it looks to rebound tonight at Toronto in a playoff rematch from last season.
The Raptors were tripped up at home by the Hornets on Wednesday, 110-106, snapping a six-game winning streak. Toronto has allowed at least 110 points in each of its last two contests, but the Raptors cruised past the Pacers on March 19 at the Air Canada Center, 116-91 as 2 ½-point favorites.
The Cavaliers posted a solid 9-2 record in February, but March has been a different story for the defending champions. Cleveland has limped to a 6-10 record this month, coming off last night’s 99-93 defeat at Chicago, the fourth loss of the season to the Bulls. The Cavs have compiled a 1-6 ATS record the last seven games as they return home to host the 76ers, as Tyronn Lue’s squad owns a 5-10 SU and 4-11 ATS mark with no rest.
The 76ers have done a solid job of covering numbers on the highway recently by putting together a 7-2 ATS record the last nine road games. Philadelphia is playing with double-revenge after losing twice at home to Cleveland in November by a combined five points. In each of those defeats, the Sixers covered as double-digit underdogs, while owning an 8-1 ATS mark in the last nine matchups with the Cavaliers.
— The Hornets have won five of the past seven matchups with the Nuggets since 2014, including a 112-102 victory at Denver earlier this month. Seven straight meetings have finished UNDER the total, but Charlotte is riding a five-game OVER streak.
— The Magic have dropped 12 consecutive visits to TD Garden as Orlando last won in Boston in February 2010. The Celtics won the first two meetings with the Magic this season by 30 points, but Boston has failed to cover in 11 opportunities as a favorite of eight points or more (opened as 11-point favorites tonight).
— The Pistons crushed the Bucks in the first matchup this season by 15 points, but Milwaukee rebounded with double-digit wins in the last two meetings. Detroit heads to Milwaukee as the Pistons are 3-12 this season with no rest following Thursday’s one-point victory over Brooklyn.
— Memphis limited Dallas to a season-low 64 points in its first matchup back in November, but the Mavericks knocked off the Grizzlies, 104-100 earlier this month. Dallas travels to Memphis looking to snap a three-game losing streak, while Memphis ended a four-game skid in Wednesday’s blowout of Indiana.
— The Knicks and Heat finish off a home-and-home set in Miami after the Heat won at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, 105-88. The road team has won each of the past five meetings, as the Knicks topped the Heat at American Airlines Arena, 114-103 in November.
