The No. 2 seed Houston Rockets and No. 7 seed Golden State Warriors play in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs starting Sunday, April 20.
Who will win the series and advance to the Western Conference semifinals?
Check out these NBA playoffs series picks and predictions for the first-round matchup.
The Warriors are -200 to win the series in NBA playoffs odds provided by BetMGM Sportsbook. The Rockets are +165.
The Warriors winning in six games is at +310 in odds for the outcome of the series. Golden State is at +450 to win in five games, +310 to win in six games and +475 to win in seven games.
The Rockets are +500 to beat the Warriors in seven games, +800 to win in six games, +875 to win in five games and +2500 to sweep Golden State.
NBA playoffs series picks, predictions, odds: Celtics vs Magic | Knicks vs Pistons | Pacers vs Bucks | Rockets vs Warriors | Lakers vs Timberwolves | Nuggets vs Clippers | NBA championship odds | Game odds | NBA playoff bracket
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NBA.com: Warriors will defeat Rockets in six games
John Schuhmann writes: “Any of the four teams on this side of the Western Conference bracket could realistically reach the conference finals, and two of them will be extremely disappointed when they lose in the first round. The Rockets are, objectively, the better team in this series, having ranked higher than the Warriors on both ends of the floor. But the Warriors have the core that’s been here before, and they’ve also been one of the league’s best road teams. The Rockets will make this a physical, ugly series; the two teams combined to score just a point per possession over their last four meetings. But in the end, Golden State should be just a little more potent offensively.”
NBA playoffs series schedules, TV channels: Magic vs Celtics | Pistons vs Knicks | Bucks vs Pacers | Warriors vs Rockets | Timberwolves vs Lakers | Clippers vs Nuggets | Daily schedule | First-round matchups
CBS Sports: Six of seven writers predict Warriors will beat Rockets
The site’s writers like Golden State’s chances to beat Houston overall in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs series.
Odds Shark: Warriors picked to advance past Rockets in six games
Chris Walder writes: “When the going gets tough and the Warriors need someone to take over a game, it’s obvious that the ball will end up in the hands of either Curry or Butler when facing adversity. For the Rockets, they have a number of guys who could potentially be that type of player, but no one with a proven track record where it’s a no-brainer call to make. This series could make someone in that regard like a Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun if Houston finds itself in a jam, but it’s just a waiting game until we witness that before our eyes.”
Athlon Sports: Warriors will beat Rockets in first round
Mark Medina writes: “The Rockets aren’t likely to be overwhelmed in the playoffs since they have both a key veteran (VanVleet) and head coach (Ime Udoka) that have been in the NBA Finals. But Houston collectively doesn’t have enough continuity to threaten a Warriors team that only needed Butler to rejoin the NBA title-contending conversation. Despite the Warriors’ late-season slide, they have developed a balanced offense featuring a blend of Curry’s 3s and Butler’s midrange shots. Meanwhile, Green and Jonathan Kuminga have increased their defensive presence.”
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Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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