The Houston Rockets have home-court advantage in the Western Conference finals, but they're still underdogs to the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
The Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas opened the Warriors as -185 favorites to win the best-of-seven series against Houston. The Rockets opened at +155, meaning a $100 bet would win a net of $155 if Houston prevails.
The series price grew to Golden State -190 in the first two hours after it had posted.
Houston is a 2-point favorite in Game 1 of the series, which is slated for Monday. If that line holds, it will mark the seventh game this season in which Golden State has been an underdog. The Warriors lost five of their six games as underdogs during the regular season.
Houston won two of three meetings against the Warriors during the regular season. The Rockets overcame a 17-point deficit to beat Golden State 122-121 on opening night, Oct. 17. The Warriors won the second meeting 124-114 on Jan. 4 in Houston, but neither Golden State star Kevin Durant nor Rockets star James Harden played. Both teams had their full allotment of stars on Jan. 20, when the Rockets beat the Warriors 116-108.
Golden State was the betting favorite in all three meetings with Houston this season.
The series matches the two best offensive teams in the NBA. The Warriors have averaged 113.1 points per game in the regular season and playoffs combined, while the Rockets averaged 112.1.
The Westgate opened the over/under on Game 1 at 225.5.
