Rockets vs Warriors Free Pick, NBA Free Picks, NBA Predictions 4/26/25
- J.A. Cavalier
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
HOUSTON @ GOLDEN STATE (GSW -3.5, 203.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
ROCKETS @ WARRIORS 4/26/25
Stephen Curry, who should know better than anyone else, gave the Golden State Warriors some positive news regarding Jimmy Butler as Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets moves to San Francisco tonight.
In the 10th minute of Wednesday's 109-94 loss to the Rockets in Houston, Butler was knocked on his backside while attempting to grab a rebound. He ended up with what has been described as a deep glute muscle contusion. He left Game 2 at that point and did not come back as the Rockets tied the series at one point in the best-of-seven format.
Butler will probably be a game-time decision for Game 3 and possibly going forward. Butler's addition to the Warriors in February helped turn around the Warriors' season. Curry missed two games in March due to a similar injury. The Warriors lost both games, one in Miami and one in Atlanta.
Prior to Wednesday's incident, the Warriors had a 24-7 record with Butler in the lineup, including their 95-85 victory in the series opener on Sunday against Houston. The former Miami Heat star helped the team win Game 1 on Sunday with 25 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals.
In Butler's place, Jonathan Kuminga, who had been a healthy DNP for the previous two games, was asked to play 26 minutes. He scored 11 points on 4-for-12 shooting. Butler's absence caused the Warriors to revert to their former three-point-happy offensive and defensive philosophies.
The Rockets went from 20.7 percent from beyond the arc in the first game to 37.5 percent in the second, thanks to Jalen Green's eight three-pointers in 18 attempts. After only scoring 18 points from beyond the arc in the first game, they scored 45 points in Game 2. During his first two NBA playoff games, Green attributed his improvement from 0-for-4 to 8-for-18 on three-pointers to his own personal development rather than Butler's absence.
The Warriors attempted 11 more three-pointers in the rematch (43) than in Game 1 (32). That contributed to a steep drop in their overall shooting percentage (47.4 percent to 41.3 percent), as they missed Butler’s hard-driving, foul-drawing force. Green claimed that in Game 2 Houston faced a different defensive team. That, of course, was because of the absence of Butler.
Golden State has won 9 of its last 13 games. The Warriors are 7-1 SU in the last 8 games against Houston at home. The Rockets have beaten Golden State just 3 times in the last 20 meetings. Houston is also just 3-10 ATS in the last 13 against the Warriors. Game 4 is set for Monday night in San Francisco.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
Game Total Over 203.5
This total opened at 202. Golden State was raining threes in Game 2. Butler is a game-time decision. If he doesn’t go, more threes. If he plays, he’ll be driving to the bucket and getting to the free throw line. Houston scores more points on the road than their season average. The Over has cashed in 22 of their last 33 road games and 12 of their last 18 overall.
