One of the best recent playoff rivalries will be renewed Sunday evening when the No. 7 Golden State Warriors visit the No. 2 Houston Rockets. The Warriors and Rockets met four times in the postseason from 2015-2019, including two matchups in the Western Conference Finals. Although Golden State won all four series, the Warriors were famously pushed to the brink in 2018 and were fortunate to see Houston miss 27 consecutive 3-point shots in a deciding Game 7. The cast of characters have changed for both sides since the last time these franchises squared off in the playoffs, but the action promises to be just as intense.
The primary reason for that is the presence of Jimmy Butler, who joined Golden State at the trade deadline in one of the biggest moves of the season. Butler was the star of Golden State’s victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in game, logging 38 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the latest “Playoff Jimmy” moment. Can Butler continue to dominate the postseason as he’s done in recent runs with the Miami Heat? The Rockets were fifth in defensive rating during the regular season.
Houston is anchored by young stars Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, who have blossomed this season. Green led the team in scoring at 21.0 points per game, while Sengun averaged a double-double with 19.1 points and 10.3 boards per contest. This is the first playoff series for both of them. Veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks do provide some postseason experience, with the latter likely being tasked with hounding Butler while the former attempts to slow down Stephen Curry.
The Rockets are 1-point favorites in Game 1 according to the latest SportsLine consensus odds, priced at -116 (risk $116 to win $100) on the money line. Golden State is a -103 (risk $100 to win $103) underdog, and the total is 213 after opening at 214.5.
If you’re looking to build a same-game parlay involving the best player props for Sunday’s matchup, the SportsLine Projection Model has you covered. It refreshes the most recent data and can help you spot discrepancies in the lines. The SportsLine model, which can be found on every game forecast page on SportsLine under the “Prop Picks” tab, assigns ratings of up to five stars for each projected value play on every NBA slate. Those picks can help build winning parlays on DraftKings, FanDuel, PrizePicks, Underdog Fantasy or Sleeper Fantasy and in same-game parlays on any betting site.
Let’s check out the SportLine model’s three highest-rated player prop recommendations for Warriors-Rockets and see what the payout would be if they were put into a same-game parlay. You can see the model’s top same-game parlays for all of Sunday’s playoff games on SportsLine.
Warriors-Rockets SGP (+710)
- Jimmy Butler Under 21.5 points (-102): 3.5 stars
- Draymond Green Over 5.5 assists (+118): 3.5 stars
- Jalen Green Over 23.5 points + assists (-114): 3.5 stars
Despite Butler’s penchant for big playoff performances, the SportsLine model projects him at just 19.5 points in Game 1. Butler has gone Under his points line in each of his last six games on the road against an opponent with a top-10 defense. On the flip side, Green excels in this situation when it comes to setting up his teammates. The veteran power forward has topped his assists line four times in his last five road games against an opponent with a winning record. Even though this is Green’s first playoff game, he has done well under pressure against strong opposition. The guard has gone Over on his points + assists prop in each of his last five matchups as a favorite against a team with a winning record, averaging 33.4 points + assists in that span. The SportsLine model projects Green at 25.9 points + assists in Game 1.
