rockets-warriorsAs expected Golden State and Houston first game was very close with both seeders playing an almost error-free playoff starter, 110-106 victory for Warriors taking the lead for the series now at 1-0, Golden State broke a 97-97 fourth quarter tie with eleven points run to nought.

The two stars battle it out in a very entertaining game, Stephen Curry with 34 points, six rebounds and five assists and Harden with 28 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists, the affair was an intense, fast paced adrenaline-pumper, with streaks from both teams setting the tone for the whole series.

The big impact of the game was Dwight Howard with a knee injury early on, the void from Howard left enough room for Curry to go wild, despite coming back in the second quarter Dwight was visibly lacking his poise, finishing with only seven points in a little over 26 minutes, in contrast to the 25-6 run from the Warriors towards the end of the second quarter, was accomplished in the most part, thanks to the stellar help of Shaun Livingston shifting Houston into a more defensive stance, fantastic performances delivered by Curry, Livingston and Green

The big question for the upcoming game, will Dwight Howard be able to play at one hundred percent, he went from probable to questionable, the influence of Howard’s absence will play a major role for the team’s defense structure, Howard missed 41 games this season due to different injuries on his knees, the Rockets defense diminishing his power since their series against Dallas,
Ariza is another interesting factor for the successfulness of the Rockets fate, with very interesting numbers this past game taking 20 of 7-of-10 shots, the opportunity to take the lead passed them by on the Tuesday chaos, there’s still an almost fleeting chance to set things straight for the Houston Rockets, if Howard is unable to play game two, The Warriors will be one step closer to the Championship and if he’s out for the playoffs entirely then the solid pick for the series will become the only pick.

The line for the game is GS Warriors -10½, 220 on total. Again the Warriors will surely win although they will not cover the five-basket spread (the half a point might decide), staying under (219) the first game, we will see another conservative under for Thursday.