Stephen Curry pushed past his season scoring average with 32.3 points over his last five outings as the Golden State Warriors head to Texas with an identical 8-3 record to face the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center.
Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 a.m. French time in the night between Wednesday and Thursday, November 12, 2026, according to basketusa.com match previews. Both Western Conference contenders enter the matchup riding strong early-season campaigns, though Golden State travels following an emphatic 138-87 blowout victory against New Orleans on Monday.
Golden State rebounded from an initial 0-3 skid by rattling off eight consecutive victories, producing 124.8 points per game while conceding 106.2 across their last five contests. The Warriors’ bench unit fueled Monday’s 51-point rout with 16 points from De’Anthony Melton, alongside 12 points and 10 rebounds from Charles Bassey, basketusa.com reported.
Houston countered a bumpy stretch that included home losses to Minnesota and Phoenix by defeating Denver 110-100 on Monday to stabilize their standing. The Rockets have leaned on a stout home defense that limits opponents to 104.7 points per contest at the Toyota Center, compared to the 121.5 points Golden State surrenders on the road.
Houston will remain shorthanded on the floor, playing without Steven Adams due to a calf injury and Clint Capela due to an ankle sprain, with both centers targeting potential returns during a mid-November road trip to Washington or Miami, basketusa.com noted. Oscar Tshiebwe remains doubtful for Houston due to an illness.
The Warriors arrived in Houston missing multiple frontcourt pieces, including Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody due to knee injuries, Will Richard awaiting a medical decision regarding surgery or a brace, and Kristaps Porzingis remaining away from basketball. Brandon Williams also exited Monday’s game after playing just 1 minute and 39 seconds with a left hamstring strain, leaving his availability uncertain alongside Gary Payton II.
Houston’s expected starting five features Fred VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun. Golden State is projected to counter with Stephen Curry, Brandin Podziemski, rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, Gui Santos, and Draymond Green.
Sengun anchors the Rockets’ offensive distribution from the high post, averaging 7.8 assists per game over the season and boosting that mark to 8.4 during his last five appearances. Meanwhile, Curry continues to command defensive attention beyond the arc, shooting 45.7% from three-point range and forcing opposing perimeter defenders to contest deep possessions early.
Last season’s regular-season series featured exceptionally tight margins, with Houston taking two of three meetings by four points or fewer, including a 117-116 victory on April 5, 2026. However, Golden State previously eliminated the Rockets in a physical seven-game first-round playoff series in 2025.
Oddsmakers have set scoring expectations high given the Warriors’ offensive output on the road, where their four away matches have all cleared a total of 220 points. Wager lines tracked ahead of tip-off highlight Curry’s points prop set above 27.5, Sengun’s assist line at 6.5, and Lendeborg’s scoring projection at 18.5 points following his recent promotion to the starting lineup.
