At long last, the NBA Western Conference Finals are finally upon us. This series is between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors. The Rockets entered the season with hopes of dethroning the Warriors as Western Conference champions. So far, the Rockets have held their own against the defending champions and are two home victories away from a berth in the NBA Finals. With the series tied at two games apiece, both teams are in must-win territory and will look to take commanding 3-2 series lead.
Houston’s success is due to its elite duo which consists of James Harden and Chris Paul. This season, Harden has looked like a lock to win the MVP award. Harden averaged 30.4 points and 8.8 assists per game as he carried the Rockets to the best record in the NBA this season. However, unlike previous years, Harden finally has a fellow superstar on his team who might be able to lighten the load for Harden throughout the rest of this series. Assisting Harden is future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul. In his first season with the Rockets, Paul was phenomenal and averaged 18.6 points along 7.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.
In game four, Harden and Paul basically carried the Rockets to a 95-92 victory in Golden State. Harden was somewhat inefficient as he shot 11-26 from the floor but still scored 30 points. However, Paul took over the game. In 42 minutes, Paul scored 27 points on 10-20 shooting and even hit five three pointers. However, none of the other five Rockets players who played scored more than 14 points. Although Harden and Paul are a great duo, others will need to pick up some of the slack in game five.
Golden State’s success has been due to its star point guard Stephen Curry and its star forward Kevin Durant. Both players are former MVP award winners and have proven that they are still elite in today’s NBA. This season, Curry averaged 26.4 points per game along with 6.1 assists per game. Curry’s statistics are even more impressive once one factor in his efficiency from the floor. Curry was shooting an absurd 49.5% from the field and 42.3% from the three-point line. However, Curry has struggled a bit in this series with his consistency and is only shooting 34.2% from three point range against Houston. Look for Curry to be more attack the rim more tonight if his three point shooting continues to struggle.
Leading the Warriors now is fellow superstar Kevin Durant. This season, Durant averaged 26.4 points per game along with 6.8 rebounds per game. Similarly to Curry, Durant was also extremely efficient from the floor. He was shooting 51.6% from the field and 41.9% from behind the arc. Unlike Curry, Durant has been unguardable this series and will likely look to keep it going in game five. In this series, Durant has averaged 31.8 points per game while shooting 48.9% from the floor. Expect Durant to put up points in bunches tonight in a must-win game for the Warriors.
As for my prediction, I have to side with the Warriors. The Warriors are clearly the better team and should be able to overpower the Rockets regardless of who the home team is. The Warriors have already beaten the Rockets in Houston this series and will now have Andre Iguodala back in the starting lineup after he missed game four. Expect this game to be competitive throughout but I think Golden State does just enough to squeeze out a victory.
Rockets vs. Warriors: Game Time, TV Channel & Viewing Details
Event: Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors
Date: Thursday, May 24, 2018
Start Time: 9:00 P.M. EST
Location: Toyota Center in Houston, TX
Broadcast: TNT
How to Watch Rockets vs. Warriors On Your Tablet Or Mobile Device
You can live stream the game on the Watch TNT app.
You can download the Watch TNT app on Google Play, Amazon, iTunes, and the Windows Store. The Fox Sports Go app is also available on the following devices: Apple TV, Roku, Android TV and Fire TV.
How To Live Stream Rockets vs. Warriors Online Without Cable Subscription
You can also live stream the game through Sling TV free trial. Just click on the Sling website and click “Watch Now 7 Days Free” for the free trial. Choose the Sling Orange package, which costs $20 per month and comes with TNT, along with many other sports channels.