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USATSI

The Golden State Warriors are hoping to make a playoff push after adding Jimmy Butler at the NBA trade deadline, but they'll run into one of the best in the West on Thursday night when they take on the Houston Rockets. Golden State is 27-27 on the season and is 10th in the West standings, while Houston is 34-20 and would be the No. 4 seed if the NBA playoffs started today. However, the Warriors have won nine of their last 10 head-to-head matchups with the Rockets and are 8-2 against the spread during that span.

Tipoff from the Toyota Center in Houston is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. The home team is listed as a 6-point favorite in the latest Rockets vs. Warriors odds, per SportsLine consensus, and the over/under is 218 points. Before you make any Warriors vs. Rockets picks, you'll want to see the NBA predictions from the advanced computer model at SportsLine.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in betting profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past six-plus seasons. The model enters Week 17 of the 2024-25 NBA season on a sizzling 147-104 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning nearly $4,000. It's also an outstanding 18-9 (67%) on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following at sportsbooks and on betting apps could have seen huge returns.  

The model has set its sights on Houston vs. Golden State. You can head to SportsLine to see its picks. Here are several NBA betting lines for Warriors vs. Rockets:

  • Rockets vs. Warriors spread: Houston -6
  • Rockets vs. Warriors over/under: 218 points
  • Rockets vs. Warriors money line: Houston -239, Golden State +196
  • Rockets vs. Warriors picks: See picks at SportsLine
  • Rockets vs. Warriors streaming: FuboTV (Try for free)

Why the Rockets can cover

Houston enjoyed a 119-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. All five Rockets starters had at least 17 points in the victory, and Amen Thompson posted a triple-double with 18 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds while adding two blocks and two steals. It was his third triple-double of the season.

The Rockets won the turnover battle 18-11 and also had a 47-43 advantage on the glass. They won their most recent matchup against the Warriors in Houston, a 91-90 victory at home on Dec. 11 during the NBA Cup. Alperen Sengun had 26 points and 11 rebounds in that victory and has 31 double-doubles in 51 games this season. See which team to back at SportsLine.

Why the Warriors can cover

Meanwhile, the Warriors are coming off a 111-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. Stephen Curry had 25 points and eight assists in the defeat but had an inefficient night offensively, going 9-for-23 from the floor and 4-of-13 from the 3-point line.

Butler also had 21 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, but Golden State shot just 28.6% from beyond the arc as a team. However, the Warriors have covered the spread in five consecutive games in Houston and are 13-5 against the number over their last 18 games played in February. See which team to back at SportsLine.

How to make Rockets vs. Warriors picks

The model has simulated Golden State vs. Houston 10,000 times and the results are in. The model is leaning Over, projecting 219 combined points, and it's also generated a point-spread pick where one side hits nearly 70% of the time. You can only see the pick at SportsLine.

So who wins Warriors vs. Rockets, and which side of the spread hits almost 70% of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Rockets vs. Warriors spread you need to jump on, all from the model that is on a 147-104 roll on top-rated NBA picks since last season, and find out.