NBA PLAYOFFS: Houston Rockets at San Antonio Spurs ($25 Prize!)
UPDATE: THE WINNER OF THE $25 AMAZON GIFT CARD IS t.car******@yahoo.com CONGRATULATIONS!
Mar 6, 2017; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker (9) shoots the ball past Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden (13) during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Prizing:
1st Place: $25 Amazon gift card
2nd-5th Place: $10 Starbucks gift card
Overview:
On Monday, May 1st, the Houston Rockets will be on the road to take on the San Antonio Spurs in game one of their Western Conference playoff series.
The Crowd:
“The Crowd” is projecting a final score of Spurs 107.6 – Rockets 103.7 with an over/under of 211.2.
Statistics (2016-17 season):
Point differential: Spurs +7.2 (2nd) > Rockets +5.7 (3rd)
Points per game: Rockets 115.3 (2nd) > Spurs 105.3 (14th)
Points allowed per game: Spurs 98.1 (2nd)> Rockets 109.6 (26th)
Field Goal Percentage Offense: Spurs 46.9% (7th) > Rockets 46.2% (12th)
Three Point Percentage: Spurs 39.1% (1st) > Rockets 35.7% (15th)
Field Goal Percentage Defense: Spurs 44.3 (tied for 3rd) > Rockets 46.3% (23rd)
Turnovers committed per game: Spurs 12.9 (tied for 11th) > Rockets 14.5 (tied for 23rd)
Turnovers forced per game: Rockets 14.4 (7th) > Spurs 13.8 (tied for 12th)
Rebounds per game: Rockets 44.4 (tied for 7th) > Spurs 43.9 (tied for 10th)
Assists per game: Rockets 25.2 (tied for 3rd) > Spurs 23.8 (tied for 7th)
Summary:
Houston defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder in five games while San Antonio knocked off the Memphis Grizzlies in six games. For the playoffs, the Rockets are averaging 112.8 points per game and allowing 104.2. The Spurs are averaging 104.7 points per game while allowing 96.3. The Spurs have gone (8-2) in their last ten head to head games with the Rockets. Houston only managed to score over 100 points in three of those contests. Kawhi Leonard is having an excellent post-season averaging 31.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game.
Houston ranked 2nd in points per game (115.3) but they will be up against a Spurs team that allowed the second fewest points per game (98.1). James Harden is averaging 33.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists in the post-season. San Antonio Head Coach Greg Popovich will look to force the ball out of Harden’s hands because his usage rate in the playoffs is 38%. Harden needs to cut down on the 5.6 turnovers he is averaging because the Spurs can be lethal in transition. The Rockets have been scoring at will but the Spurs have one of the NBA’s elite defenses. I think Leonard’s size and length could give Harden problems at the end of games. I’m picking the Spurs to win in a close one.
Contest Rules:
To be eligible to win a prize in any contest at The Crowd’s Line, you must be at least 18 years old and a resident of the United States or Canada. You must also submit your score prediction on our official prediction tool (blog widget), and include a valid email address. Contest winners are determined according to The Crowd’s Line scoring methodology. If more than one entrant has the same winning score, final contest rankings and prize winners are selected by random draw. Only one entry per person is allowed for each contest; multiple entries from a single player will be deemed invalid. There are no prize substitutions or exchanges available from The Crowd’s Line. All contest prizes will be sent by email within 5-7 business days after the conclusion of each contest.
