The Golden State Warriors are in the same place they were last season at this time – as the best team in the NBA, although admittedly they aren't undefeated. But they seem to be perfectly positioned to get their crown back, as they have added a talent no less formidable than Kevin Durant to the lineup. Between him and reigning Most Valuable Player Steph Curry, they have tallied almost 54 points per game, and they are on a tear at the moment, having won 12 straight games as they move into a Thursday night encounter with the Houston Rockets. It's will serve as the nightcap of the TNT doubleheader, taking place at 10:35 PM ET from the Oracle Arena in Oakland. The big news for BetAnySports customers is that they can place wagers on this game even after the opening tipoff, as they access the superior software of Live Betting Ultra.

Golden State is getting the job done on both ends of the floor. They are the leading offensive team in the league, scoring 117.5 points per game, and they have held their opponents to just 43% shooting. Durant is averaging 27.1 points per contest, and Curry seems perfectly content to take up a secondary role, although we would say scoring 26.6 points per game is hardly "secondary." But this team is predicated now, as it had been before, on team defense and ball distribution. They have more assists than anyone else in the NBA, and they obviously had their share of three-pointers. In fact, Curry has a healthy lead over anyone else in that category, and his two closest pursuers will be in the visiting team's uniforms on Thursday night.

In the NBA odds that have been posted on this game by the people at BetAnySports, Golden State is the considerable favorite:

Golden State Warriors -11
Houston Rockets +11

Over 231.5 points -110
Under 231.5 points -110

The Rockets, who lost to the Warriors in the first round of playoff action last season, but did manage to win a game in the process, hired Mike D'Antoni in the off-season, and he has promptly put James Harden in charge on the floor. He knows that Harden is going to wind up with the ball in his hands anyway, so he has given him the opportunity to more or less "quarterback" the team. The result is something that might have astonished some people at the outset, as he is dishing out 11.9 assists per game, tops in the NBA. Harden certainly hasn't forgotten how to score, however, as is 28.7-point average would attest. D'Antoni's teams in the past, particularly in Phoenix, have been characterized by an extremely fast pace. Remember the "Eight Seconds or Less" philosophy? Well, in Houston these days it is "Three Points or Bust." They have easily taken more triples than any other team in the league (659) and they hit a healthy percentage (37.8%).

And BetAnySports patrons who have been following the team this season know that last Friday they set the one-game record with 50 attempts from beyond the arc. These guys are just audacious. Curry has the league lead with 75 triples, but Harden and teammate Eric Gordon are tied for second with 55. The problem with the Rockets is that they aren't exactly a group of staunch defenders on the perimeter, allowing 38% from downtown. Patrick Beverley has recently returned, however, and he could help that situation.

The Warriors are hitting 50% as a team on the season, but they shot just 43.5% against the stingy Atlanta Hawks last time out. They won the game by five points, but trailed going into the fourth quarter, and if you go back to last Friday, even in the process of beating the Lakers by 24 points, head coach Steve Kerr called his team's performance "awful." Yes, the standards are very high around Oakland these days. Now they aim for a 13th victory in a row.

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