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The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Houston Rockets on Thursday night at the Toyota Center. This is the second meeting between these two teams this season. The Rockets defeated the Lakers at Staples Center last October 20th.
Lakers On A Roll
The Los Angeles Lakers are on a roll right now as they have won six out of their last seven games played. LeBron James has led the way with 28.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. Sophomore Kyle Kuzma is having a breakout year, scoring 17.9 points per game while hauling 5.8 rebounds per outing. The Lakers though will be without forward Brandon Ingram who will miss his fourth straight game with an ankle injury.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets 12/13/18
Moneyline Odds: Lakers +195, Rockets -225
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/13/18
A Long Way To Go
The Houston Rockets were expected to compete with the Golden State Warriors for supremacy in the West. However, the Rockets are just 12-14 right now and have a long way to go before they earn title contender status again. Houston just got out of a three game losing skid with a win over the Portland Trail Blazers in their last game. They will look to win their second straight against LeBron’s Lakers.
Despite having James Harden, Houston is the 20th best scoring team in the NBA at 108.4 points per game this season. The Rockets are only 27th in rebounding at 41.0 boards per contest and also 27th in passing at 21.1 assists per game. On defense, Houston is giving up an average of 109.5 points per game this season which puts them at #12 in the rankings.
Who Wins?
These teams have played a total of 217 regular season games. The Lakers lead the all-time series 136-81 but the Rockets have won six out of their last seven meetings including the last three. Houston beat Los Angeles 124-115 in their first meeting of the current season last October 20, 2018 at Staples Center.
The Rockets have been outscored by an average of 3.8 points by their opponents in their last five games played. On the other hand, the Lakers have outscored their opponents by 9 points in their last five games. A lot has changed since these teams met last October 20th. The Lakers have improved so much defensively and they have also learned how to close out games and play better down the stretch.
As for Houston, it looks that they are no longer the same team that led the league in wins last season. They have gotten wins here and there but overall, it’s not just the same team anymore. I’m pretty surprised why Houston is favored here. Except for home court edge, which isn’t much given they are just 6-5 SU at home this season, I don’t see why the Rockets are playing better than the Lakers right now. Given their current form, I’ll take the Lakers and the plus money here.
We’re picking the Los Angeles Lakers to beat the Houston Rockets on 12/13/18
Other Bets To Make
The Lakers are 12-15 ATS in 27 games played this season. Los Angeles is 5-7 ATS in twelve road games played so far. The Rockets are 10-16 ATS in 26 games played this season. Houston is 5-6 ATS in eleven home games played. Head to head, the Rockets are 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games played against the Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets 12/13/18
Spread Odds: Lakers +5.5 (-110), Rockets -5.5 (-110)
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/13/18
The Lakers are playing much better these days. Los Angeles is 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine games against Western Conference rivals and are also 8-2 ATS in their last 10 Thursday games. The Rockets are just 2-5 ATS in their last seven Thursday games and are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games overall. I’ll take the visitors and the plus points here.
Prediction: Lakers +5.5
The total has gone under in 17 out of the 27 games played by the Los Angeles Lakers this season. The under is 7-5 in twelve road games played by the Lakers so far. The total has gone over in 14 out of the 26 games played by the Rockets. The over has hit in seven out of eleven games played by Houston at their Toyota Center. Head to head, the over is 8-2 in the last 10 games between the Lakers and Rockets.
Los Angeles Lakers vs Houston Rockets 12/13/18
Over/Under Odds: Over 222.5 -110, Under 222.5 -110
Odds from betonline.ag as of 12/13/18
These teams are supposed to be high scoring squads but for the Lakers, the under is 17-9-1 in their 27 games this season. For the Rockets, the over is 14-12 overall but the under is 4-0 in the Rockets last 4 games overall and the under is also 4-1 in the Rockets’ last five home games.
Prediction: Under 222.5
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