Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets Prediction and Betting Tips for April 20 | 2025 NBA Playoffs Game 1

The Golden State Warriors begin their quest for a championship on Sunday when they visit the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center. The Warriors are looking to use their experience to steal homecourt advantage against the two-seeded Rockets.

Golden State earned its ticket to the postseason after beating the Memphis Grizzlies in the NBA Play-In Tournament. Houston, on the other hand, finished the regular season with the second-best record in the Western Conference behind the OKC Thunder.

Fans can watch Game 1 of the Rockets-Warriors series on TNT. It will also be available via live stream on FuboTV and NBA League Pass in certain locations. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. EST.

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Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Preview, Prediction and Betting Tips

Moneyline: Warriors (+100) vs. Rockets (-118)

Spread: Warriors +1 (-110) vs. Rockets -1 (-110)

Total (O/U): Warriors o212.5 (-115) vs. Rockets u212.5 (-110)

Note: The odds could change before tipoff.

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Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Preview

The Warriors and Rockets played each other five times in the regular season, which included a clash at the NBA Cup. Steph Curry and company won the season series, 3-2, but he was held to just three points in their April 6 matchup at the Chase Center.

In the playoffs, the Rockets are 0-4 against the Warriors. They lost in the first round in 2015, once in the Western Conference Semifinals in 2019, and twice in the Western Conference Finals in 2015 and 2018.

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Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Predicted Starting Lineups

Warriors

G - Steph Curry | G - Brandin Podziemski | F - Moses Moody | F - Jimmy Butler | C - Draymond Green

Rockets

G - Fred VanVleet | G - Jalen Green | F - Dillon Brooks | F - Amen Thompson | C - Alperen Sengun

Note: The starting lineups could still change ahead of tipoff.

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Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Betting Tips

Steph Curry has an over/under of 24.5 points via DraftKings. Curry has a career average of 27.0 points per game, so it might be better to bet on OVER (-120). He has scored 25 points or more in four of his last five games.

Jalen Green is favored to go OVER (19.5) points via DraftKings. Bet on Green to hit the mark in his playoff debut. He has scored at least 20 points in his last seven games, where he played full minutes. The Rockets' last three games barely featured their star players since they already clinched the No. 2 spot.

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Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Prediction

The Warriors are the slight underdogs to beat the Rockets in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. It's going to be one of the best playoff series, so any game could go either way. The prediction is a win for the Rockets in a very close contest, with the total going OVER 212.5 points.