Preview: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets: Player props, injury report and prediction | NBA

Golden State Warriors, who have won eight games in a row after losing their first three, visit Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center on Wednesday night (early Thursday in the UK) in a meeting of two Western Conference sides with identical records.

It is the first meeting of the 2026-27 season, following a 2025-26 series that Houston took 2-1, with a one-point win in San Francisco on 5 April, and a 2025 playoff series that went the distance.

Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets form and outlook

Form Guide (Last 5)

Golden State Warriors

8-3 · 4th in the West

WWWWW

124.8

PPG

106.2

Opp PPG

+18.6

Diff

1 day

Rest

Houston Rockets

8-3 · 6th in the West

WWLLW

108.8

PPG

102.0

Opp PPG

+6.8

Diff

1 day

Rest

Golden State followed a 0-3 start with eight straight wins, the latest a 138-87 rout of New Orleans on Monday that finished a run of home games, with the Warriors 72-43 ahead at half-time and winning by 51.

Across their last five games, all played in San Francisco, the Warriors have averaged 124.8 points and allowed 106.2, though the final win came against a New Orleans side missing three starters.

Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski and rookie Yaxel Lendeborg combined for 73 points against the Pelicans, with Lendeborg making all four of his three-point attempts and Curry reaching 25 in just over 20 minutes, while the bench supplied 60 of the 138.

Houston's recent form is less tidy, with wins of 21 and 16 points over Oklahoma City and Boston followed by defeats against Minnesota and at Phoenix, before a 110-100 home win over Denver on Monday restored some momentum.

The Rockets' case rests on their home record, since they are 5-1 at Toyota Center and concede 104.7 points per game there, while Golden State have given up 121.5 per game in four road outings, winning two.

Over the season the sides are close on both offensive and defensive rating, so the edges come from turnovers, where Houston give it away 1.2 fewer times per game, and assists, where Golden State average two more.

Golden State are the faster team, at about 100 possessions per game to Houston's 97.5, and all four of their road games have finished above 230 combined points while only one of Houston's six home games has.

Both teams played on Monday and have one day of rest, with Golden State fourth and Houston sixth in the conference standings, and the Warriors travel to San Antonio next on the NBA schedule while Houston host Utah.

Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets team news and rotations

Golden State are without Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, who are both recovering from knee injuries, and Will Richard, who is deciding between surgery and playing with a splint, which thins the guard and wing rotation behind Podziemski and Lendeborg.

Kristaps Porzingis announced on 6 November that he is stepping away from basketball, while Brandon Williams (hamstring) and Gary Payton II (knee) are questionable after Williams left Monday's win early and Payton sat it out.

Houston are missing centres Steven Adams (calf) and Clint Capela (ankle), which leaves Alperen Sengun as the only centre on the depth chart, and Oscar Tshiebwe is questionable with an illness after missing Monday's win over Denver.

The projected Golden State five is Curry, Podziemski, Lendeborg, Gui Santos and Draymond Green, the same group that started Monday, while Houston are expected to start Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. and Sengun.

The matchups that could decide Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets

Key Matchups

Playmaking centres

Alperen Sengun

HOU

VS

Draymond Green

GSW

PPG

21.3 v 2.8

RPG

9.0 v 4.9

APG

7.8 v 7.6

MIN

34.7 v 26.8

Sengun scores and rebounds far more, while Green matches him as a passer.

Veteran against rookie

Kevin Durant

HOU

VS

Yaxel Lendeborg

GSW

PPG

21.0 v 21.4

RPG

6.3 v 7.2

APG

3.5 v 4.0

MIN

34.3 v 31.9

Last 5 PPG 18.2 v 23.2

Lendeborg has scored at a similar rate to Durant, which is why Golden State have not relied on Curry alone.

Sengun and Green both run their team's half-court offence from the centre spot and each averages more than seven assists per game, but Sengun adds far more scoring and rebounding, which makes him the more complete threat.

Durant and Lendeborg are separated by less than half a point per game, a notable return for a rookie set against an established scorer, and Lendeborg's scoring over the last five games has been the stronger of the two.

Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets player props to watch

Player Props to Watch

Stephen Curry

GSW

PointsOver 27.5

30.6

Season

32.3

Last 5

9

GP

He leads Golden State in scoring by more than nine points a game, and his last-five average is above his season figure.

Alperen Sengun

HOU

AssistsOver 6.5

7.8

Season

8.4

Last 5

9

GP

He has averaged more than eight assists across his last five games and is the hub of Houston's half-court offence.

Yaxel Lendeborg

GSW

PointsOver 18.5

21.4

Season

23.2

Last 5

11

GP

He scored 23 on 8-of-10 shooting on Monday and his last-five average sits above his season figure.

How have Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets fared head-to-head?

Houston won last season's series 2-1, beating Golden State 104-100 in San Francisco in November and 117-116 there on 5 April, with the Warriors taking the March meeting 115-113 in Houston, so the visiting team won all three games.

The sides also met in the 2025 playoffs, when Houston won Game 6 115-107 in San Francisco before Golden State took the seventh game 103-89 in Houston to end the series.

All three regular-season meetings last season were decided by four points or fewer, with the margins at one, two and four, so another tight finish would fit the pattern.

Our Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets tips and prediction

Houston's home defence and Golden State's road record make the Rockets the more reliable side, although the visiting team won all three meetings last season and Curry's form should keep the Warriors in touch.

A Houston win would end the eight-game run that began after the Warriors' 0-3 start, and Toyota Center is where the Rockets' defence has been at its strongest this season.