On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers (16-18 SU, 11-22-1 ATS) will travel to Houston to meet the Rockets (10-24 SU, 16-17-1 ATS) at the Toyota Center. Which team will snap their losing streak?
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Betting Odds and Lines
Sportsbook: BetUS
Over/Under: 226
Point spread: Lakers -5.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Rockets +175 / Lakers -210
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Injury Report
All injury reports are at the time of writing. Updates to the injury report will come throughout the day.
For the Lakers, Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Austin Reaves and Rajon Rondo are all in the league’s health and safety protocols. Anthony Davis (MCL Sprain) and Kendrick Nunn (Knee Bone Bruise) are both out while Lebron James (Abdominal) is probable.
For the Rockets, D.J Augustin, Kenyon Martin Jr., Jae’Sean Tate and Garrison Matthews are all in the league’s health and safety protocols. Kevin Porter Jr. (Left Thigh Contusion) and Jalen Green (Left Hamstring) are probable.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Preview
Lakers Searching for Answers
The Lakers just are not playing good basketball right now. They’ve lost five straight games and cannot seem to find a flow offensively or string together stops defensively.
Over their five game losing streak they are dead last in Offensive Rating and 23rd in Defensive Rating. They are also 28th in eFG%, 26th in FG% and last in 3P%.
It’s not like Lebron James has been playing poorly, though. It’s the team around him that has not been able to do much. Over the last five games, Lebron is averaging 31.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists.
Without Anthony Davis playing in this game, the Lakers need Russel Westbrook, Talen Horton-Tucker, Dwight Howard and Wayne Ellington to step up.
Rockets Far Removed from Brief Win Streak
It wasn’t so long ago that the Rockets played inspired basketball on their way to ripping off 8 straight wins.
Much like the Lakers, the Rockets are also playing really bad basketball. They are 1-4 over their last five games and lost to the Hornets 123-99 Monday night. Over that five game stretch the Rockets are 17th in Offensive Rating, 30th in Defensive Rating and 28th in Net Rating.
While they’ve been fine on the offensive end, they just cannot get stops defensively. They are 26th in the NBA in opponent FG% at the rim, 26th in opponent eFG% and 27th in opponent. They do defend the three somewhat well, ranking 13th in opponent e3P%.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Prediction
This is a good spot to back the Lakers. Losers of five straight, they get a very favorable matchup against the Rockets here.
While the Lakers can’t shoot the three, they do love attacking the rim. The Lakers are 2nd in the NBA in FGA % at the rim, and 8th in FG% at the rim. The Rockets, as aforementioned, are 26th in the NBA in opponent FG% at the rim.
The Rockets defend the three somewhat well, but that won’t make much of a difference against a Lakers team that both cannot and should not be taking many threes in this game.
I expect big games from Lebron James and Russel Westbrook as they attack the rim all night and outpace a Rockets team dealing with Covid issues on the second night of a back-to-back.
It doesn’t hurt that Russ is going against his former organization, either. Back the Lakers in a decent get right spot. Just make sure Lebron is playing first.
All betting lines were retrieved from BetUS. Click below to claim a free bet, if you’re a new customer.
