Through 3 Quarters
The Los Angeles Lakers were the heavy favorites here for a reason. Three quarters in and their offense has really been able to impose its will, dominating the Houston Rockets 79-54 three quarters in.
The Lakers have been relying on power forward Carmelo Anthony, who has 18 points in addition to two blocks, and small forward LeBron James, who has 14 points and seven assists along with five boards. Houston hasn’t had any offensive standouts so far with all players held to 12 points or fewer.
This is the least points Houston has had yet this year going into the fourth quarter.
Who’s Playing
Houston @ Los Angeles
Current Records: Houston 1-4; Los Angeles 3-3
What to Know
The Houston Rockets haven’t won a contest against the Los Angeles Lakers since Sept. 4 of last year, but they’ll be looking to end the drought on Sunday. The Rockets will take on Los Angeles at 10:30 p.m. ET at Staples Center after having had a few days off. If the matchup is anything like Los Angeles’ 124-122 victory from their previous meeting in May, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.
There’s no need to mince words: Houston lost to the Utah Jazz this past Thursday, and they lost bad. The score wound up at 122-91. Houston was in a tough position by the half, with the score already sitting at 61-40. One thing holding Houston back was the mediocre play of shooting guard Jalen Green, who did not have his best game: he finished with 13 points on 3-for-16 shooting in his 29 minutes on the court.
Meanwhile, it was all tied up 54-54 at the half for the Lakers and the Cleveland Cavaliers this past Friday, but Los Angeles stepped up in the second half for a 113-101 win. Los Angeles can attribute much of their success to power forward Carmelo Anthony, who shot 6-for-8 from downtown and finished with 24 points and five rebounds, and small forward LeBron James, who had 26 points and eight assists.
Houston have to know they’ll be fighting an uphill battle given the 10.50 point spread they are up against. Those burned by picking them against the spread this past Thursday might want to keep in mind that the team has not yet dropped back-to-back games against the spread this season.
Los Angeles’ win lifted them to 3-3 while Houston’s loss dropped them down to 1-4. Allowing an average of 116.50 points per game, Los Angeles hasn’t exactly asserted themselves on the defensive end. We’ll see if they can patch up the holes in their defense before their upcoming game.
How To Watch
When: Sunday at 10:30 p.m. ETWhere: Staples Center — Los Angeles, CaliforniaTV: ATTSN SouthwestOnline streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)Follow: CBS Sports AppTicket Cost: $32.00
Odds
The Lakers are a big 10.5-point favorite against the Rockets, according to the latest NBA odds.
Bettors have moved against the Lakers slightly, as the game opened with the Lakers as a 12.5-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
Houston have won 15 out of their last 26 games against Los Angeles.
May 12, 2021 – Los Angeles 124 vs. Houston 122Jan 12, 2021 – Los Angeles 117 vs. Houston 100Jan 10, 2021 – Los Angeles 120 vs. Houston 102Sep 12, 2020 – Los Angeles 119 vs. Houston 96Sep 10, 2020 – Los Angeles 110 vs. Houston 100Sep 08, 2020 – Los Angeles 112 vs. Houston 102Sep 06, 2020 – Los Angeles 117 vs. Houston 109Sep 04, 2020 – Houston 112 vs. Los Angeles 97Aug 06, 2020 – Houston 113 vs. Los Angeles 97Feb 06, 2020 – Houston 121 vs. Los Angeles 111Jan 18, 2020 – Los Angeles 124 vs. Houston 115Feb 21, 2019 – Los Angeles 111 vs. Houston 106Jan 19, 2019 – Houston 138 vs. Los Angeles 134Dec 13, 2018 – Houston 126 vs. Los Angeles 111Oct 20, 2018 – Houston 124 vs. Los Angeles 115Apr 10, 2018 – Houston 105 vs. Los Angeles 99Dec 31, 2017 – Houston 148 vs. Los Angeles 142Dec 20, 2017 – Los Angeles 122 vs. Houston 116Dec 03, 2017 – Houston 118 vs. Los Angeles 95Mar 15, 2017 – Houston 139 vs. Los Angeles 100Dec 07, 2016 – Houston 134 vs. Los Angeles 95Oct 26, 2016 – Los Angeles 120 vs. Houston 114Apr 10, 2016 – Houston 130 vs. Los Angeles 110Jan 17, 2016 – Houston 112 vs. Los Angeles 95Dec 17, 2015 – Houston 107 vs. Los Angeles 87Dec 12, 2015 – Houston 126 vs. Los Angeles 97
Injury Report for Los Angeles
LeBron James: Game-Time Decision (Ankle)Dwight Howard: Game-Time Decision (Neck)Wayne Ellington: Game-Time Decision (Hamstring)Kendrick Nunn: Out (Knee)Talen Horton-Tucker: Out (Thumb)Trevor Ariza: Out (Ankle)
Injury Report for Houston
Danuel House Jr.: Out (Ankle)John Wall: Out (Not Injury Related)
