Warriors vs. Rockets Predictions, Picks & Odds: NBA Playoffs Game 2, Today 4/23
It was the very last Game 1 of the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs back on Sunday night that saw the Golden State Warriors pull off the very slight upset over the Houston Rockets. Now, after both Monday and Tuesday off, they two are back at it, and we’ve got our best Warriors vs. Rockets predictions for Game 2.
So that fans in both California and Texas can also make the most of the best bet from our Warriors vs. Rockets picks, we’ve also shared a guaranteed PrizePicks Fantasy welcome bonus!
Warriors vs. Rockets Predictions For Tonight NBA Playoffs Game 2, 4/23
Hopefully you were with us ahead of our Game 1 Warriors vs. Rockets predictions, as we took the under, even with a rather low total set at 214.5 points. As we saw thanks to the 95-85 victory for Golden State, that was never even a sweat.
The Warriors also opened as slight one-point favorites early in the week after earning the #7 seed, but it didn’t take too long for that to flip and see the Rockets favored by a point. Well, the biggest knock on Houston came to fruition - their over-reliance on defense due to a lack of offensive consistency.
If they're able to improve that tonight, holding Golden State to fewer than 100 points is certainly a positive in most cases. Since that improvement is going to be the necessity, we’re going to focus on that side of things for the best bet from our Warriors vs. Rockets predictions.
Golden State Warriors: Chef Curry Cooks Up History Again
It wasn’t quite the third straight game of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler scoring 30+ points in tandem, but it was close. Curry did his part, as he generally does, with iconic three-pointers that just shouldn’t even be possible en route to 31 points.
Of those, 16 came in the first half, and hitting over that 30 mark made it his 59th career playoff game with at least that many points. That’s the eight-most in NBA history, so while it’s not an outright record, it’s still a notable landmark. It’s also a key part in the Warriors being 20-1 in postseason series under Steve Kerr after taking Game 1!
Houston Rockets: Lackluster Across The Board
Prior to Game 1, along with the lack of offensive consistency, we harped on the lack of experience for the Rockets. It’s impossible to put an entire loss on that factor, but after seeing Houston go down by over 20 points halfway through the third quarter, you have to imagine that it played a role in terms of halftime adjustments.
Scoring just 85 points is the fewest that the Rockets put up all season, and it’s the fewest that Golden State has allowed in the playoffs since the 2018 NBA Finals, which was one of the most dominant seasons ever. Houston shot less than 21% from three-point range, and perhaps worst of all, gave up 25 points off 17 turnovers.
Warriors vs. Rockets Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines
After easily hitting our best bet for Game 1 on the under 214.5 points, oddsmakers have adjusted nearly 10 points! You can see the latest Warriors vs. Rockets odds below:
- Point Spread: Golden State Warriors +2 (-110) vs. Houston Rockets -2 (-110)
- Money Line: Golden State Warriors (+120) vs. Houston Rockets (-140)
- Game Total (Over/Under): Over 205.5 (-110) vs. Under 205.5 (-110)
Warriors vs. Rockets Best Bet: Jalen Green Over 18.5 Points (Use His Player Card At PrizePicks Fantasy)
Along with the Warriors vs. Rockets odds significantly decreasing the total, you may have also noticed that Houston is now favored even more than Game 1! So, what gives? If anything, what we saw Sunday night further confirms why Golden State is simply a terrible matchup for the Rockets.
The way teams take advantage of the Warriors is by exploiting their lack of size. Although it may seem awesome seeing Draymond Green finish with just four points, his job isn’t to light up the scoreboard. He was able to help prevent Houston from putting points on the board, and that’s what we need to see change tonight in Game 2.
Specifically, from Jalen Green. Whether it’s improved shot-making or getting to the basket, we see at least 20 points in his future to help the Rockets bounce back. Such a bummer of a Game 1 may have been a rust issue given how Houston was able to approach the final week of the regular season after clinching the #2 seed.
In their final three games, Jalen Green played more than 15 minutes just once. However, just prior to that was a much more impressive three-game stretch, which actually culminated with a 10-point win over the Warriors. In that span, Green averaged nearly 26 points per game!
We’re not saying that we expect him to match Stephen Curry bucket-for-bucket, but we do have Jalen Green over 18.5 points (add his projection to a PrizePicks lineup) as the best bet from our Warriors vs. Rockets predictions.
Warriors vs. Rockets Injury Report & Starting Lineups
With both teams coming out of Game 1 unscathed, the Warriors vs. Rockets injury news is all but nonexistent. Therefore, we’re getting the best of the best on the court with the Warriors vs. Rockets lineups for tonight:
GS Warriors:
HOU Rockets:
- Fred VanVleet
- Jalen Green
- Amen Thompson
- Dillon Brooks
- Alperen Sengun
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Player News
Buddy Hield had 15 points (5-of-14 FGs), three rebounds, one assist, one steal and four three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Hield moved into the Warriors’ starting lineup in the first round and the team became somewhat reliant on his scoring. With Stephen Curry (hamstring) out in Game 2, Hield started and played 29 minutes. The 32-year-old shooting guard led the Warriors in field goal attempts, though no one in a Golden State uniform was able to reach 20 points. The Warriors weren’t able to overcome a double-digit first half deficit. Despite the four made three-pointers, they’re going to need more from Hield as the series shifts to Golden State, especially if Curry remains out.
Jimmy Butler had 17 points (6-of-13 FGs), seven rebounds, four assists, one steal and two three-pointers against the Timberwolves in Game 2 on Thursday.
Butler couldn’t get it done without Stephen Curry (hamstring) on the road in Game 2. The Warriors fell behind by double-digits early and never recovered. Butler had 17 points on 13 shots, which wasn’t far off from the 20 points he had in Game 1. Still, the Warriors have to regroup as they head home for Games 3 and 4 as they try to figure out a way to keep this series close until Curry can return to the court.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20 points (7-of-13 FGs), two rebounds, three assists, one block and four three-pointers in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Alexander-Walker was a key scorer off the bench in Game 2. He, Naz Reid and Donte DiVencenzo combined for 10 made three-pointers off the bench. In a game where the Warriors were desperate for scoring without Stephen Curry (hamstring), those bench points were too much to overcome as the Timberwolves won by 24 points.
Julius Randle had 24 points (10-of-17 FGs), seven rebounds, 11 assists and one three-pointer in Game 2 against the Warriors on Thursday.
Randle led the Timberwolves in scoring in the Game 2 victory. The 30-year-old power forward was just three rebounds away from a triple-double. He was a steadying presence in his 33 minutes as Anthony Edwards dealt with an ankle injury towards the end of the first half. Edwards recovered from his injury to play 34 minutes, but Randle is still the next most important player in this series for the Timberwolves.
Anthony Edwards had 20 points (6-of-13 FGs), nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, one block and two three-pointers in the Timberwolves’ 117-93 victory over the Warriors in Game 2 on Thursday.
Edwards appeared to suffer a sprained left ankle towards the end of the second quarter as the Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis landed on his foot. Edwards turned the same ankle in the first round against the Lakers and appeared to re-aggravate the injury. The 23-year-old shooting guard would go on to start the second half and play a team-high 34 minutes in the Game 2 victory. Edwards will only have one full day off before the series resumes in Golden State for Game 3 on Saturday.
Warriors will start Brandin Podziemski, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Quinten Post in Game 2 against the Timberwolves on Thursday.
No surprise here as Curry was always a long shot to make it back for Game 2 after leaving Game 1 with hamstring injury. While there has been a report that the 37-year-old point guard is expected to miss a week, there is no firm timetable for his return. The Warriors will go big with their starting lineup for Game 2 with center Quinten Post entering the lineup in Curry’s absence.