NBA Western Conference capsule previews

Analysis by Matt Youmans, Las Vegas Review-Journal, with series predictions added by ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor Doug Kezirian.

(1) Golden State Warriors (73-9) vs. (8) Houston Rockets (41-41)

Best-of-7 series price: Warriors minus-10,000

Warriors player to watch: Stephen Curry. It’s not advised to take your eyes off him. Curry, a quick-trigger shooter and a wizard off the dribble, averaged 30.1 points to win his first NBA scoring title. He made 402 3-pointers, crushing his previous record of 286. He shot 50.4 percent from the field, including 45.4 percent on 3s, and made 90.8 percent of his free throws. His numbers are incredible, but he also opens the floor for Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and others to get scoring opportunities. It’s a perfect storm that makes Golden State almost impossible to defend.

Rockets player to watch: James Harden. The league’s No. 2 scorer at 29.0 points per game, Harden plays one end of the floor. He’s one of the laziest defenders imaginable. But he can score, and it takes firepower to run with the Warriors. Harden has been especially hot in April, averaging 34.8 points in six games.

Big numbers: The Warriors rank No. 1 in the NBA in scoring (114.9 points per game) and assists (28.9). … Golden State is a minus-140 favorite to win the championship again, and several sports books posted a proposition total of 5½ on Warriors losses in the playoffs. … The Warriors finished the regular season 46-35-1 against the spread.

Storyline: Can the Rockets avoid a sweep? There is no doubt how this series will turn out, and the Warriors want to end it as soon as possible to rest for the next round. Houston is capable of taking one game with monster efforts out of Harden and Dwight Howard.

Matt Youmans’ pick: Warriors in 4

Doug Kezirian’s pick: Warriors in 4

(2) San Antonio Spurs (67-15) vs. (7) Memphis Grizzlies (42-40)

Best-of-7 series price: Spurs minus-11,500

Spurs player to watch: Kawhi Leonard. In his fifth season out of San Diego State, Leonard has developed into a Most Valuable Player candidate and arguably the league’s best defender. He averaged a career-high 21.2 points this season to go with 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals. In his two-year college career, Leonard made 25 percent of his 3-point attempts, but his perimeter shooting has improved dramatically. He hit seven 3s in a 103-83 victory over Memphis on Dec. 3. The Spurs no longer belong to Tim Duncan and Tony Parker. Leonard, a 6-foot-7-inch small forward, and 6-11 power forward LaMarcus Aldridge represent the future of the franchise.

Grizzlies player to watch: Zach Randolph. With the team’s top two scorers — center Marc Gasol and point guard Mike Conley — sidelined by injuries, Randolph must carry a heavy load. The 6-9 power forward can score from the outside and is a crafty player in the paint. Randolph averaged 18.4 points in his last 10 games.

Big numbers: San Antonio led the league in scoring defense by allowing 92.9 points per game. … ESPN’s Basketball Power Index rates the Spurs’ chances of winning the series at 98 percent.

Storyline: The first round in the West could be extremely boring. In reality, the injury-riddled Grizzlies only want to avoid a series sweep. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich frequently rested players in preparation for the playoffs, and now he’ll push his team to finish this in four games and shift the focus to Oklahoma City in the next round.

Matt Youmans’ pick: Spurs in 5

Doug Kezirian’s pick: Spurs in 5

(3) Oklahoma City Thunder (55-27) vs. (6) Dallas Mavericks (42-40)

Best-of-7 series price: Thunder minus-3,000

Thunder player to watch: Kevin Durant. Where will he be playing next season? Questions about the future seem to be overshadowing Oklahoma City’s present. Rumors have Durant headed to the Washington Wizards as a free agent this summer. Shaquille O’Neal, however, is predicting Durant will sign with the Los Angeles Lakers. One year after Durant’s foot injury prevented the Thunder from reaching the playoffs, he came back strong to average 28.2 points and 8.2 rebounds.

Mavericks player to watch: Dirk Nowitzki. At 37, the 7-foot German still is Dallas’ go-to guy, leading the team in scoring at 18.3 points per game. He’s the team’s only star, which is a problem when the opposition has two superstars. The Mavericks do not excel on either end of the floor, so their hope is to dictate ugly games with defense while hoping Nowitzki can string together some lights-out shooting nights.

Big numbers: Nowitzki has 29,491 career points to rank sixth on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. … Point guard Russell Westbrook averaged 17.8 points and 9.8 assists in the Thunder’s four-game sweep of Dallas in the regular season.

Storyline: Billy Donovan’s transition from college to NBA head coach was not always a smooth one. He struggled to get a handle on player rotations and other nuances of the game. Durant and Westbrook finally stayed healthy and kept the Thunder rolling. The Mavericks’ advantage is coach Rick Carlisle, who has stated he just hopes to extend this series to seven games. Oklahoma City ranks No. 2 in scoring offense (110.2 points per game), and Carlisle will try every trick in the book to slow the pace.

Matt Youmans’ pick: Thunder in 6

Doug Kezirian’s pick: Thunder in 7

(4) Los Angeles Clippers (53-29) vs. (5) Portland Trail Blazers (44-38)

Best-of-7 series price: Clippers minus-320

Clippers player to watch: Chris Paul. You surely know him from the State Farm Insurance commercial in which he plays the dad of the “Hoopers” family. He will need to guide a Clippers crew that can be considered dysfunctional and self-destructive. The veteran point guard is tied for the most All-Star appearances (nine) among players who have failed to reach a conference finals. The Clippers would have to go through Golden State in the semifinals, so Paul’s playoff misery is probably going to continue. Paul averaged 19.5 points, 10.0 assists and 2.1 steals this season, and his play on defense will be stressed in this series.

Trail Blazers player to watch: Damian Lillard. A score-first point guard, Lillard ranked sixth in the league at 25.1 points per game. He was selected No. 6 in the 2012 draft out of Weber State and has matured into a two-time All-Star. In one of the top performances of the season, Lillard scored a career-high 51 points in a 137-105 blowout of Golden State on Feb. 19. He needs to outplay Paul by a decent margin for the Trail Blazers to pull the upset and advance.

Big numbers: The Clippers rank seventh in scoring offense (104.5 points per game) and seventh in scoring defense (100.2). … Despite the teams’ similar seeds, ESPN’s Basketball Power Index rates the Clippers’ chances of winning the series at 83 percent.

Storyline: Portland was not supposed to be a playoff team. Oddsmakers set the Trail Blazers’ regular-season win total at 27½ in October. But Lillard and shooting guard C.J. McCollum combined to lead an explosive backcourt. Clippers coach Doc Rivers needs power forward Blake Griffin, limited to 35 games because of an injury and suspension, to return to dominant form. The Clippers must avoid looking ahead to a series with the Warriors, because this ’dog is dangerous.

Matt Youmans’ pick: Clippers in 7

Doug Kezirian’s pick: Clippers in 5