The Golden State Warriors overcame a slow start to beat the Houston Rockets in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, and are looking to maintain home court advantage. Will they take a 2-0 series lead, or will the Rockets find a way to even the series?
Projected Starting Lineups
(1) Golden State Warriors (67-15)
G Stephen Curry – 23.8 ppg, 7.7 apg, 2.1 spg
G Klay Thompson – 21.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg
F Harrison Barnes – 10.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg
F Draymond Green – 11.7 ppg, 8.2 rpg
C Andrew Bogut – 6.3 ppg, 8.1 rpg
(2) Houston Rockets (56-26)
G Jason Terry – 7.0 ppg, 1.9 apg
G James Harden – 27.4 ppg, 7.0 apg, 5.7 rpg
F Trevor Ariza – 12.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg
F Terrance Jones – 11.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg
C Dwight Howard – 15.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg
What to watch for:
How effective will Dwight Howard be?
Howard was limited to just 26 minutes in Game 1 after spraining his right knee when teammate Josh Smith ran into him. He's officially listed as questionable for tonight's contest, but the Rockets expect him to give it a go. If Howard can still have an impact on the boards and on the defensive end despite the injury, Houston has a good chance to win. If not, they'll lose.
Which role player will step up?
Stephen Curry and James Harden essentially neutralized each other in Game 1, but the difference was the 18 points Golden State got off the bench from Shaun Livingston – including 16 in the first half. On the flip side, Houston only had three players in double figures (Harden, Ariza, and Smith), and didn’t get any real contributions from unexpected sources.
Role players often are the difference in the postseason, much like Livingston was. If a bench player can score 20 or more points tonight, their team will win this game.
Prediction: Warriors win 111-98
Golden State has yet to lose to the Rockets this season, and even though Houston played really well in Game 1, they still lost. Even if they're at the top of their game again, they won't have enough firepower to keep up with Howard's injury to keep up with the Warriors.
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