NBA Wire roundtable predictions for Warriors vs. Rockets first round series

After missing the postseason last year, the Golden State Warriors will make their highly anticipated return to the playoffs on Sunday with a first-round battle against the No. 3 seed Houston Rockets. In 2025, the Warriors will boast a new-look core fueled by the pairing of Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler. While the Warriors will meet a familiar playoff foe in the Rockets, Houston will also look different from the last time they met the Warriors in the postseason.

Under Ime Udoka, the young and tough Rockets surprised the league, exploding to the No. 2 seed in the West with an impressive 50-32 record. While veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks should bring back memories, the Warriors will be tasked with slowing down Houston’s young trio of Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson.

With the Warriors and Rockets serving as one of the marquee matchups of the first round, predictions are falling in different directions for the No. 2 vs. No. 7 seed series. To help clear the forecast, Warriors Wire surveyed the USA Today SMG NBA staff for their thoughts and predictions on the series between Houston and Golden State. Along with the NBA staff from Sixers Wire, Celtics Wire, Rockets Wire, Thunder Wire and more, Warriors Wire called in a special guest for an exclusive prediction for the series.

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The fact that the Warriors feel like popular and trendy pick for the first round, and they’re even the favorite on most betting books is probably the scariest thing about this series. However, the Warriors’ 2024-25 campaign has been defined by the acquisition of Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline. While Golden State’s push with Butler to secure a playoff spot has been impressive, the playoffs are why they traded for the veteran forward. A loss in the opening round of the postseason would essentially label Butler’s first run with the Warriros a borderline failure. It will be on him, Draymond Green and Steph Curry to will the Warriors past the young Rockets group. But, will that be enough?

The Rockets boast a lot of problems for the Warriors with their athleticism and physicality. Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks have real experience against the Warriors while Alperen Sengun has had some success against Golden State in the past. But, for the Rockets, the real X-factor could be the rise of Amen Thompson. If the second-year wing continues his breakout run with a playoff jump, he could be a real problem for the Warriors.

I think all of this makes for a tight and exciting series, but the Warriors’ experience should push them over the line.

Prediction: Warriors in 6

Twitter: @tommy_iii

The Rockets are a scrappy group and deserve a lot of credit for the leaps forward they took in the 2024-25 season. Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun are formidable while Amen Thompson took leaps forward and steady veterans Dillon Brooks and Fred VanVleet play a big role in their overall success, but the Warriors have Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green. If there was going to be an upset in these playoffs, it will be this one. The combination of Curry and Butler alone should be enough to get Golden State past a very talented Houston team.

Prediction: Warriors in 6

Twitter: @Ky_Carlin

Have to agree with Ky here that while we can see the Rockets get under the Dubs skin for a game, I don’t see that happening in four of seven contests. If Houston had a genuine scoring option with the sort of efficiency success in the postseason requires, I might be less sure, but veteran savvy is going to win the day here — with Houston’s time just around the corner yet.

Prediction: Warriors in 7.

Twitter: @justinquinnn

What kind of site Editor would I be if I didn’t take Houston? Kidding, mostly. This series should be close, and earlier head-to-head meetings suggest that it will be a defensive slugfest. But the Rockets got progressively more comfortable with the matchup as the season moved along, winning two of the final three. Game 7s are often defined by defense, toughness, and home-court advantage, and if the series gets that deep, I’ll take Ime Udoka’s group to find a way in Houston. Fred VanVleet shot just 22% the Warriors this season, but he looked healthier late in the season and should be due for an uptick. He’s also got a history of making big shots versus Golden State, dating back to the 2019 NBA Finals with Toronto.

Prediction: Rockets in 7

Twitter: @BenDuBose

This will be one of the best Round 1 playoff series. You get the clash of the young and old. The veteran and accomplished Warriors are in the twilight of the Stephen Curry era. They married him to Jimmy Butler as his last co-star. The surprising Rockets beat out everybody’s expectations with the second seed. Their roster embodies their head coach as a tough, nasty defensive group headlined by Amen Thompson. Houston fans might be traumatized by Golden State’s past success, but Fred VanVleet said they’re a different group than previous iterations. Expect this series to go all the way with a close Warriors win in Game 7. Houston’s lack of a go-to scorer will haunt them at the end and could add extra motivation in the offseason to go big-star hunting.

Prediction: Warriors in 7

Twitter: @CAlmanza1007

Other than my Lakers’ matchup versus Minnesota, this one is the first-round series I’m most looking forward to, and I think it could be the most intriguing one. The Jimmy Butler trade was the proverbial defibrillator shock to the heart of the Warriors that was badly needed, and their dynasty looks like it has risen from the dead like the mythical phoenix bird. They have been hot since, and Stephen Curry is making things look Stephfortless again. Houston, meanwhile, seems very dependent on its defense to generate easy transition scores. When the game slows down, I don’t trust Houston to be able to generate enough offense to win, especially against a revitalized Golden State defense. In the end, Golden State just has too much star power for the Rockets.

Prediction: Warriors in 7

Twitter: @LeBron_Wire

This is an interesting series to ponder because the NBA community seems to be divided based on their views on the trajectory of these teams. For example, there are those who trust the Warriors to win this series due to the veteran leadership of Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler while there are those, like me, who believe that the Rockets are for real. The addition of Butler has been everything that the Warriors had hoped for and more as Curry has a reliable second scorer for the first time since Kevin Durant was in Golden State. However, the Warriors will have to figure out how to defend Alperen Sengun and how to deal with Amen Thompson wreaking havoc on the perimeter.

Prediction: Rockets in 7

Twitter: @SharifKeaton

I don’t buy that this series is going to be an easier one for Golden State than the Lakers would have been. Houston is well-coached and their mix of veterans with their young, rangy athletes gives them a unique advantage against the Warriors. However, these long series often come down to which team executes better in the one or two swing games. I’ll bank on Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler figuring out how to overcome the physical advantages the Rockets have.

Prediction: Warriors in 7

Twitter: @KyleAMadson

This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: NBA Wire roundtable predictions for Warriors vs. Rockets series

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NBA Wire roundtable predictions for Warriors vs. Rockets first round series

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