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The Golden State Warriors will look to return to winning ways in the 2020-21 NBA when they face the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at the Toyota Center.
Steph Curry and co. have dropped three of their last five games, conceding an average of 117 points in this period. However, the Golden State Warriors will look to use their superior offense to turn over a Houston Rockets team that ranks in the bottom three in defensive rating in the last ten games.
Match Details
Fixture: Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets | NBA Season 2020-21.
Date & Time: Saturday, May 1st; 7:30 PM ET (Sunda;, 5:00 AM IST).
Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, TX.
Golden State Warriors Preview
This week could prove pivotal in the Golden State Warriors' hopes of making the playoffs.
In the period between facing the Rockets and the lowly OKC Thunder, Steve Kerr's team will play the New Orleans Pelicans twice on the road. Should the Pels win both those games, they would close the gap on the Golden State Warriors, which stands at three games, with only six matches to play after that.
Before that, though, the Golden State Warriors will have to regroup after enduring consecutive losses. After an embarrassing defeat to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, in which the Golden State Warriors were down 29-62 at half-time, Steph Curry and co. were once again left frustrated in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Key Player - Steph Curry
In the loss against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Steph Curry put up 37 points. In fact, the veteran point guard has dazzled this month, ending April with 96 threes made, doing so with a success rate of 47.2%.
His scoring form at the moment is such that he could sink any opposition on his day, something that would be key for the Golden State Warriors' postseason hopes.
Curry is arguably having his most successful campaign in a Golden State Warriors jersey, despite the team's losing record on the season. In this game, he could run neck-and-neck with Bradley Beal, a duel that could be key in the MVP rankings.
Golden State Warriors Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Steph Curry; Shooting Guard - Kent Bazemore; Small Foward - Andrew Wiggins; Power Forward - Draymond Green; Center - Kevon Looney.
Houston Rockets Preview
The Houston Rockets will look to continue their winning ways after ending a five-game losing run in an explosive offensive performance against the Milwaukee Bucks in their last outing. The Rockets' starters on the night combined for a whopping 123 points.
It was a somewhat surprising result for the Houston Rockets, who had scored less than 100 points in three of their previous outings. It was also only their second win in ten as they remain rooted to the bottom of the Western Conference standings.
Nevertheless, this off-season will be all about a rebuild for the Houston Rockets, centered around stars Christian Wood and Kevin Porter Jr.. Kelly Olynyk has impressed since arriving at the franchise, though the Houston Rockets remain without a clear leader, as John Wall has missed a lot of games due to injury.
Key Player - Kevin Porter Jr.
Kevin Porter Jr. went off in the Houston Rockets' win against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night.
The 20-year-old became the youngest player in NBA history to record 50 points and ten assists in a game and only the fourth to put up 50 before turning 21.
Porter Jr. will be one of the defining pieces of the Houston Rockets' rebuild going forward.
He is a dynamic guard who can shoot, assist and rebound the ball. Since entering the NBA from the G-League, Porter Jr. has averaged 16.7 points, 6.4 assists and 3.9 rebounds in 20 games.
Houston Rockets Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Armoni Brooks l Shooting Guard - Kevin Porter Jr. l Small Forward - Jae'Sean Tate l Power Forward - Kelly Olynyk l Center - Christian Wood.
Warriors vs Rockets Match Prediction
Without John Wall, who could be out for the season with a hamstring injury, the Houston Rockets could sorely lack leadership in this matchup. Furthermore, Kevin Porter Jr. could be in for a long night against the legendary Steph Curry.
The Golden State Warriors' leader has been frustrated with his team's recent performances and will be keen to get them back to .500. They will look to go into their clashes with New Orleans on the right note, so the Golden State Warriors are expected to win this game on Saturday.
Where to watch the Golden State Warriors vs Houston Rockets matchup?
In the USA, this match will be locally broadcast on NBC Sports Bay Area and AT&T Sportsnet - Southwest and nationally on ESPN. The game can also be live streamed with an NBA League Pass.
Guess the Lakers players!
