NBA DFS Picks for the Playoffs: Rockets vs Warriors Game 6

The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will play Game 6 of their Western Conference playoff series tonight in San Francisco at the Chase Center. The Rockets’ backs were against the wall, and from the opening tip, Houston dominated from wire to wire to force a Game 6. The Warriors led 8-7 in the first quarter but never led again the rest of the game.

Let’s dive into this Game 6 matchup while recapping the series’ Game 5 and make a pick for tonight.

Warriors vs Rockets Game 5 Recap

The Warriors led 8-7 in the first quarter but never led again as the Rockets thoroughly handled the Warriors. It was a game the Rockets needed as they were up 76-49 at halftime and led by as much as 31. The Warriors relented in the third quarter as benches emptied for both teams, with Golden State waving the white flag despite mounting a bit of a comeback with their bench. For a pivotal Game 6, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr decided to rest his starters for that upcoming clash. Moses Moody led the Warriors in scoring (25 points) in Game 5, which should tell you how the Warriors’ night fared.

Houston shot the ball incredibly well, shooting 55 percent as a team and 43 percent from three-point land. Amen Thompson, Dillon Brooks, and Fred VanVleet combined to shoot 23-of-39 (59%) from the field and 7-of-14 (50%) from behind the arc as the Game 5 rout marched on.

The Rockets haven’t gotten much production from outside of a 38-point Game 2 performance from Jalen Green, who averaged 21.0 points per game in the regular season. Outside of Game 2, he’s averaging 8.8 points in the other four games. Green hasn’t shot the ball well, but he hasn’t taken more than eight field goal attempts in the last two games.

Warriors vs Rockets Game 6 DFS Picks

The Rockets have a tall task in clawing their way back to even the series with a win in Game 6 on the Warriors’ home court. If they’re going to, they need to bottle up everything they had in Game 5 and hope to recapture some of that magic. The athleticism and defensive intensity of the Rockets are the two things they have a clear advantage over the playoff-tested Warriors. Of course, the Warriors know this, and “Playoff” Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry are ready to wipe the slate clean to get this series in the books.

In the last 20 playoff games for Golden State, they are an astounding 17-3 at the Chase Center. You don’t get to that kind of record accidentally, and they’ll need their stars to do a lot of the heavy lifting. Curry did not score until midway through the second quarter, and Butler scored his first points via a made free throw before halftime. That won’t get it done.

For DFS in Game 6, it’s going to come down to the stars. The Warriors don’t want this game to come down to Game 7 in Houston. The Rockets want to take everything from Game 5 and transfer that effort, efficiency and intensity to the next two games. As in most series involving the Golden State Warriors, it’ll come down to Curry and his shooting ability. 

Curry needs to be the pulse and the heartbeat for the Warriors to answer most of the salvos the Rockets dish out at the Warriors. At home, in a Game 6, where the Warriors can close things out, vintage Curry may come out firing tonight for Golden State.

Our Pick: Stephen Curry to Record 5+ Threes