Rockets vs. Lakers Prediction: NBA Odds, Point Spread
L.A. will go for the season sweep of the NBA-worst Houston Rockets on Wednesday at the Staples Center. The Lakers blew out the Rockets in both previous games this year in Houston and with the return of LeBron James, this game could get out of hand quickly.
The Lakers are heavy 13-point favourites to win on the NBA odds with a total of 224.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Houston has been brutal this year with just 16 wins on the season, eight of which have come at home. They’re 25-44 against the spread and they’ve failed to cover in six straight games. The Over has hit in the Rockets’ last five games.
The return of LeBron couldn’t have come at a better time for L.A., as they’re just 4-8 straight up over their last 12 games. For the season they’re 31-37-1 ATS, including 3-8-1 ATS over their last 12 games. The total has gone Under in 10 of the Lakers’ last 14 home games.
Houston Rockets
At this point Houston has to be counting down the days until their miserable season comes to an end. They’ve lost six straight games and at 16-53 on the year, they’re the only team in the NBA to not hit the 20-win mark. Injuries have certainly hampered this roster and as many as eight players will be out of the lineup on Wednesday, including Kevin Porter Jr., who is likely done for the season with an ankle injury. The Rockets will get a little bit of a boost however, as Christian Wood will return to the lineup.
DJ Augustin, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Kelly Olynyk have taken on the biggest responsibilities for this team throughout all the injury issues. Augustin and Olynyk each had a team-high 21 points against Portland on Monday, while Martin Jr. finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Over his last four games, Martin Jr. is averaging 22.8 points, nine rebounds and 4.8 assists. Olynyk is on the best scoring run of his career. Over his last 10 games, Olynyk is averaging 20.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.9 steals.
Los Angeles Lakers
There’s not much rest for the Lakers as they’re fresh off a 101-99 OT win against the Knicks on Tuesday. Kyle Kuzma led L.A. with 23 points against New York, while Anthony Davis had 20 points and Andre Drummond finished with a monster 18 rebounds. Keep an eye on Davis’ status closer to tip-off, as he’s questionable to play on Wednesday with a groin injury. Sitting at seventh in the Western Conference, L.A. will need to win their final three games to have a shot at avoiding the play-in tournament.
LeBron James is easily the biggest factor in this game. After missing 20 games with an ankle injury, James returned to the lineup for two contests, before sitting out the last five. Now that his ankle appears to be better, look for him to get back into the thick of things immediately. LeBron leads the team in points (25.0) and assists (7.8) per game. Last time around, against Houston, LeBron finished with a game-high 26 points and eight rebounds.
HOU
LAL