NBA Betting Preview: Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets Game 3 Odds

The Golden State Warriors may not need reigning NBA MVP Stephen Curry to beat the Houston Rockets in their first-round playoff series, but the defending champs might need him on the court to win Game 3 on Thursday as consensus six-point road favorites at sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark.

Golden State has won 14 of the past 15 meetings in the series, going 11-4 against the spread, according to the Odds Shark NBA Database, following a 115-106 victory in Game 2 as an 8.5-point home favorite Monday.

Curry sat out to nurse an ankle injury in hopes of staying healthy for another potential NBA title run. His status for Game 3 remains questionable, according to the SFGate's Vic Tafur, as he and the team try to decide the best course of action.

The Rockets would obviously prefer that Curry not play again, although it did not seem to help them in a 114-110 loss to the Warriors as 3.5-point home favorites back on December 31.

Curry did not play then either due to injury, but Klay Thompson stepped up with a game-high 38 points while Shaun Livingston was inserted into the starting lineup and scored 13 points to go along with seven assists. Thompson also had 34 points in Game 2 and figures to draw even more attention in Game 3 if Curry can’t go.

The problem for Houston is that leading scorer James Harden is a poor defender, and he is typically matched up with Thompson. The Rockets may choose to have somebody else guard him instead and simply let Harden focus solely on scoring.

Harden was much more aggressive offensively in Game 2, finishing with 28 points and 11 assists. He scored just 17 in the series opener and failed to get to the free-throw line, making up for that in Game 2 by making 13 of 15 attempts from the charity stripe.

Regardless, Harden's increased production was not enough because Thompson still outscored him and won.

The total has gone over in three of the last four games between the teams on the NBA betting lines after the under cashed in five of the previous six for totals bettors.

In the 2015 Western Conference Finals, Houston lost Game 3, 115-80, as a 1.5-point home favorite before avoiding the sweep with a 128-115 win as 4.5-point home dogs in Game 4. Golden State won in five games.