NBA Playoffs 2019: Friday Schedule, Odds, Picks for Conference Semifinal Action
The injury suffered by Kevin Durant Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals drastically affected the approach of the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets for the rest of the series.
According to ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski, the small forward suffered a mild calf strain and is expected to be re-evaluated next week.
Durant's diagnosis means the Warriors are going to have to dispense of the Rockets without their top postseason scorer.
From Houston's perspective, a door has been opened for them to take advantage of the 30-year-old's absence and advance to their second Western Conference finals in three years.
In order to keep their season alive, the Rockets need to overcome a 3-2 Warriors lead, starting with Friday's Game 6 at the Toyota Center.
Friday NBA Playoffs Schedule
Game 6: Golden State at Houston (9 p.m. ET, ESPN)
Odds
Houston (-312; bet $312 to win $100)
Golden State (+270; bet $100 to win $270)
Pick
Houston over Golden State
Houston appears to be in a great position to snatch the momentum in the series and head back to Oracle Arena with a chance to eliminate the Warriors.
If there was ever a time for the Rockets to dethrone the Warriors from the top of the Western Conference, it is now while Golden State tries to figure out how to play in a postseason game without its top performer.
It is hard to figure out which adjustments head coach Steve Kerr will make to the Golden State system since Durant only missed four regular-season games.
One of the contests he missed was a two-point win over Houston on March 13, but Golden State still had a healthy DeMarcus Cousins to rely on in that game and the matchup that followed against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 16.
With one of Golden State's primary scorers out of the series, the Rockets have an easier task at hand on the defensive side of the ball.
The first thought would be to smother the three-point line to limit the impact of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
By forcing the Warriors guards into a few bad shots, Houston should be able to haul down rebounds and start transition opportunities.
Of course, James Harden is going to benefit from Durant's absence, but the injury will also have a trickle-down effect on the Houston offense depending on what the Golden State defensive assignments are.
By shifting Thompson or Andre Iguodala to Harden on a permanent basis, the other scorers on the floor for the Rockets have a chance to take advantage of more favorable matchups.
Getting support for Harden in the scoring column could be a concern for Houston, and now it is more imperative for players such as Chris Paul, Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker to step up.
If the three-point shot works for the Rockets, who shot 29.3 percent from three-point range in Game 5, they should be able to get some favorable one-on-one looks for Clint Capela in the paint.
Scoring depth is even more important now for the Warriors, who need Curry and Thompson to shake off their three-point shooting struggles to become the team's top scorers.
Beyond Curry, Thompson, Iguodala and Draymond Green, the Warriors need some production out of their bench players, no matter how little they are on the floor.
In Games 4 and 5, the Warriors recorded 11 points off the bench. The bench production wasn't any better in the first three games, with the 14 bench points in Game 2 being the highest total of the series.
Unless Kevon Looney or Shaun Livingston put together a career night in Durant's first game out of the lineup, we can't imagine the Warriors having enough scoring depth to match the Rockets.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90
