Rockets vs. Lakers Point Spread: NBA Odds, Prediction
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Charlie Grant
LBJ and his rag-tag group of youngsters are home underdogs in this matchup against a Houston side that nearly knocked off the Warriors in last year’s Western Conference finals.
NBA Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Bettors aren’t accustomed to seeing a LeBron James-led team catching points at home. Since the start of the decade, teams featuring James are just 7-12 against the spread as home underdogs. The Lakers are coming off a 128-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday night.
That’s a tough result, but the Lakers were 3-point road underdogs in the contest. The Rockets, on the other hand, got smashed in their season opener. Houston allowed 131 points to the New Orleans Pelicans and lost at home by 19 points.
Both teams went Over their game total in their season debuts and the Over has hit in seven of the last 10 matchups between the two sides. The Lakers went 3-1 ATS in four games against the Rockets a season ago – but that was before James moved to the West Coast.
Houston Rockets
There wasn’t much to like about Game 1 of the new campaign for Houston supports. The Rockets were outscored by 20 points with Carmelo Anthony on the floor. Anthony came off the bench – and didn’t seem too cranky about the diminished role.
Just like in the playoffs last spring, the Rockets live and die with their shooting from distance. Houston attempted 48 three-pointers in against the Pelicans. Defending league MVP James Harden had an off-night shooting and finished with just 18 points.
The Rockets’ defence is the big question mark this season. The team lost key defenders Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute along with defensive coach Jeff Bzdelik. If the first game is any indication of the rest of the season, the Rockets will struggle to repeat their defensive excellence from a year ago.
Los Angeles Lakers
The formula for a successful NBA offence with LeBron James in the centre was to surround the four-time MVP with shooting. Accurate bombers around the 3-point line unclog the paint and give James the chance to bulldoze his way to the rim.
This LA roster doesn’t have that makeup. Most of the players on the team are either non-shooters or below average from beyond the arc. Head coach Luke Walton will have to find ways to give LeBron more space to operate. The Lakers made just seven of their 30 attempts from deep in their first game of the season.
