As expected, the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets will duke it out in the 2018 NBA playoffs to determine which squad represents the West in the NBA Finals. Monday's tipoff for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals is set for 9 p.m. ET from Toyota Center in Houston.

Houston opened as a two-point favorite, but now is laying 1.5. The over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, has inched down to 224 from an opening of 225.

Before picking either side, you need to read what legendary sports prognosticator Hammerin' Hank Goldberg has to say. Goldberg, the renowned handicapper who began his sports-industry career as a ghost writer for Jimmy "The Greek" Snyder, has devoted his life to providing picks and analysis for a variety of sports, including basketball.

Now, Goldberg has examined every matchup, every player and every trend for Game 1 of Golden State vs. Houston and locked in his pick.

Goldberg believes now that the Warriors, and Stephen Curry, are healthy, they could take advantage of the Rockets' disorganized offense. But Game 1 is in Houston, where the Rockets are 5-1 in the postseason and were 34-7 during the regular season.

The Warriors can cover the spread if they can keep Clint Capela off the boards. The 6-foot-10 center is averaging more than four offensive rebounds this postseason and 12 total rebounds. Golden State must pack the lane tightly and box out.

The Rockets can cover the spread by forcing Golden State to beat them from deep. The Warriors have shot poorly from 3-point range this postseason, knocking down only 33 percent of their attempts. Kevin Durant needs to take his game into the paint for easy looks, rather than hoisting shots from beyond the arc, where he's hitting 28 percent.

So which side of Warriors-Rockets do you need to be all over? Visit SportsLine now to see the exclusive strong point-spread and series picks by nationally renowned sports prognosticator Hank Goldberg.