Houston Rockets vs. Golden State Warriors Game 5: Prediction, Odds For 2019 NBA Playoff Series

The Houston Rockets have avoided disaster and turned what looked like might become a laugher into a series. With two straight wins at home, the team has tied the Golden State Warriors at 2-2 heading into Wednesday night’s pivotal Game 5 at Oracle Arena.

James Harden has finally brought his MVP-caliber play to the postseason with averages of 39.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists to go along with only 2.5 turnovers and 30.5 field-goal attempts per game in consecutive wins at Toyota Center. The guard even came close to matching Kevin Durant, who has looked like the NBA’s best player in the playoffs.

It hasn’t simply been Harden carrying Houston. Eric Gordon was great with 50 total points at home. PJ Tucker has contributed on both ends of the floor as a forward and a small-ball center. For the second year in a row, the Rockets’ defense has done as good of a job as could be expected against the Warriors' historic offense.

Will Houston be able to keep it up on the road? The betting odds suggest they won’t, considering Golden State is favored by six points in Game 5, per OddsShark. The total is 219.5.

The Warriors have home-court advantage, though it can be disputed exactly how much of an edge Golden State has by returning to the Bay Area. They’ve already been defeated twice at home this postseason after suffering just one home playoff loss in Durant’s first two years with the team.

The Rockets’ edge comes with their depth, which could make them a little bit fresher in Game 5. Houston has gotten good production from Austin Rivers and Iman Shumpert, who were a combined plus-14 in 100 total minutes in Game 3 and Game 4.

Golden State only got 18 bench points in their two road losses. It forced head coach Steve Kerr to keep Durant, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the court for an average of 44.5 minutes per game each.

Curry’s only really good game of the series came in Game 4, though he hasn’t made more than 30 percent of his threes in any contest against Houston. Klay Thompson is shooting 30.8 percent from three-point range and hasn’t hit 45 percent from the field in even one game.

Part of that is Houston's defense. Part of that is the Splash Brothers missing open shots.

Curry seemed to turn a corner in Game 4. You would think Thompson is too good to remain in a shooting slump like this for much longer.

The Warriors have performed much better with their backs against the wall throughout the year. Durant continues to dominate each night with 35.4 points on 51.8 percent shooting in the playoffs. Green has raised his level of play on offense and defense. Harden is shooting just 33.7 percent from the field in four road playoff games.

All of that should add up to a Golden State win.

Nothing has come easy for the Warriors this series, even in Game 2 when they thoroughly outplayed the Rockets. Houston has successfully slowed down the pace and competed with Golden State’s once-feared “Hamptons Five” lineup.

Every game this series has been decided by six points or fewer, and there’s a good chance that trend will continue.

Game 5 Prediction: Golden State over Houston, 116-113