Rockets vs. Warriors NBA Playoffs: Betting Odds, Series Prediction, and Best Bets

Golden State Warriors-Houston Rockets bouts were one of the most exciting matchups to track this season. Each team won a pair of contests in the four-game regular-season series and all games were decided by ten points or fewer. We even got a Stephen Curry vs. Ime Udoka storyline in the most recent meeting.

Now, we get to watch these teams go at it in the first round of the 2025 NBA playoffs.

What should we expect from this series, and which bets stand out?

All NBA betting odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook and may change after this article is published.

Rockets vs. Warriors Series Betting Odds

Despite winning 52 games and entering the playoffs as the two seed, the Rockets are underdogs with +138 odds to win this series.

The series over/under is set at 5.5 games with -210 odds on the over.

Best Bets for Rockets vs. Warriors NBA Playoff Series

Series Most Total Points: Jimmy Butler (+260)

It's really hard to wrap your head around this series. I'll hear any and all arguments for Houston being undervalued at +138. The Rockets have home court advantage, are incredibly well-coached, have their rotations down to a tee, and present a young and gritty group that was the only team in the Association to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Boston Celtics this year.

Golden State -- to varying degrees -- lacks many of those qualities. But they've gone a stellar 23-8 since trading for Jimmy Butler and have a +9.2 net rating (third-best) and a league-best defense in that span. As a basketball fan, it's hard not to root for what could be next: Steph Curry vs. LeBron James in the second round. I'm sure the NBA wouldn't mind that outcome, too.

It's easy to picture this series going long, so I don't mind the idea of going dart throw on either 6 total games (+170) or 7 total games (+195). But ultimately, my favorite way to bet this series is looking for Butler to lead the way in scoring at +260.

Playoff Jimmy is no myth, in large part due to his ability to impose himself at the free throw line. He took 9, 11, and 17 free-throw attempts in Golden State's final three games of the regular season before earning a whopping 18 FTA in Tuesday's Play-In win over Memphis. When he gets the call to be aggressive and take pressure off Steph -- especially since the Warriors don't exactly have a third option -- he answers. It has led to Jimmy scoring a minimum of 24 points and an average of 30.0 points across his last four games.

The Rockets' excellent perimeter defense surrendered the second-fewest three-point attempts and makes this season. Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet offer Houston the means to deal with Steph. They held him to three points on 1-for-10 shooting in 33 minutes just two weeks ago. When you take Steph out on offense, you've taken him out of the game, and I'm expecting that to be a top priority for Ime Udoka and company heading into this series.

Steph will still get his, but Jimmy will need to go full takeover mode when things aren't clicking elsewhere in the offense. I like his chances to answer the call, and luckily, he scores a lot of his points via the highest percentage shot in the NBA.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.