The Golden State Warriors escaped the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night to get out of the play-in tournament and secure their spot in the Western Conference playoffs. Now, the Warriors are set to face off against the Houston Rockets in the first round, with game one on Sunday.
The Warriors and Rockets faced off five times in the regular season, as Golden State won the series 3-2. Now, in their upcoming seven-game playoff series, the seven-seed Warriors are expected to take down the two-seed Rockets.
Apr 6, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts in front of Houston Rockets guard Dillon Brooks (9) after the Rockets attempted a free throw in the third quarter at the Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images / Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Los Angeles Lakers legend and Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson took to social media to share his prediction for the highly anticipated matchup.
“For the Golden State Warriors vs. Houston Rockets – there will be plenty of fireworks with the Houston Rockets! Nobody from the Warriors can stop Houston Center, Alperen Sengun.
“The Rockets are more athletic than Golden State led by Jalen Green, Amen Thompson, and Alperen Sengun – and Fred VanVleet is a NBA champion with plenty of Playoff experience. Golden State with future Hall of Famer and the best shooter in the NBA Steph Curry are going to need playoff Jimmy Butler to also dominate, but who else will step up for the Warriors in this match up?
“I saw Brandin Podziemski score 28 points against my Lakers. If Jonathan Kuminga answers as the X factor, I’m thinking Warriors in 7.”
The Rockets are a very talented team, centered around head coach Ime Udoka. The Rockets were 52-30 in the regular season, while the star-studded Warriors were four games behind them at 48-34. The Warriors certainly have a talent advantage, led by Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler, but the Rockets have plenty of weapons and defensive versatility to keep up.
Magic Johnson is one of many people picking the Warriors over the Rockets, but the NBA legend does a good job of giving Houston its props.
