After beating the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, the Golden State Warriors are set for a showdown with the No. 2 seed Houston Rockets. The teams played five times this season, with two of the games (a split) coming after Golden State had acquired Jimmy Butler in early February.
The Warriors (48-34) have a 3-2 regular-season edge over Houston and a 23-7 record with Butler. However, the young, impressive Rockets (52-30) should not be underestimated by Golden State in this best-of-seven series that begins Sunday (April 20) in Houston.
Per FanDuel, the Rockets are favored to win the series.
Here are keys for Golden State to get four wins against the Rockets:
Offense
Rockets head coach Ime Udoka will likely instruct his team to sell out to stop Stephen Curry and Butler, as demonstrated in the April 6 matchup between the teams.