Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Best Bets for Third Matchup
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The Houston Rockets travel to Los Angeles for the second time this season to take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Previously, the Lakers beat Houston 105-104 in LA, while Houston blew them out at home. The Rockets are winless on the road and sit two spots behind the Lakers in the Western Conference standings.
Both teams have had at least a day of rest, so fatigue shouldn’t be an issue. That said, Houston has lost two in a row and could be feeling some frustration, falling to 8-8 on the season after a hot start.
The Lakers will prove to be a tough challenge for the Rockets. LeBron James has built a solid supporting cast in southern California and is actively pursuing his fifth championship.
Amen Thompson and Victor Oladipo are on the injury report for Houston, while Gabe Vincent is the only Laker listed as out. James is questionable, Jaxson Hayes and Anthony Davis are both probable.
With that decided, we have our best bets, powered by the lines at SI Sportsbook.
Rockets guard Jalen Green dribbles during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.
Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
The Lines
Point spread: Lakers -4.5 (-118)/Rockets +4.5 (-105)
Moneyline: Lakers (-213)/Rockets (+165)
Over/under: 222.5
Our Picks
Scoring pick: Alperen Şengün OVER 20.5 points (-133)
This line is just under Alperen Şengün’s season average of 21 points, and he lit up the Lakers for 23 in their last matchup, and 19 before that. Şengün is continuing his MIP bid and is constantly setting the bar higher and higher as he becomes Houston’s best player. With the possibility of a depleted Lakers’ frontcourt, the over for Şengün looks good.
Opponent pick: LeBron James OVER 24.5 points (-125)
If James plays, he will make it a point to play well. He does not like Dillon Brooks, and lit the Rockets up for 37 points in their last matchup, compared to Brooks’ 24. A decent game by The Villain, but not nearly as good as The King. In their first matchup, James scored only 18 points, but he was not fully healthy. If he plays tonight, expect a middle-of-the-road performance, which for James is quite good.
Passing pick: Fred VanVleet OVER 9.5 assists (-105)
Fred VanVleet is fourth in the league with 9.2 assists per game, and tonight he should get double-digits. His scoring has taken a dramatic dip since coming to Houston, but he has been thriving as a floor general who sets up his teammates, rather than being the guy who takes the shot. We think Şengün will hit his over and think Jalen Green (19.5) has a solid chance of hitting his over as well, and someone has to set them up for easy buckets. Enter VanVleet, one of the most underrated players this year after being the signing of the summer.
