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2009 NBA Playoff Betting: Rockets vs. Lakers Predictions

Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs see the Rockets vs. the Lakers, the Lakers won the season series 4-0. Artest had a great series vs. the Blazers, plus he believes he can lock up any player well folks that player is Kobe Bryant arguably the best player on the planet…

Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Betting Odds + Playoff Schedule

#5 Houston Rockets vs. #1 LA Lakers 

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Key to series: For Houston to have a puncher’s chance, the Rockets need to get off to fast starts. Coming from behind with their deliberate style of play is difficult.

Season series: Los Angeles 4-0 

Rockets vs. Lakers Series Odds:  Rockets +600 / Lakers -1000

Head-to-head:

(at) Los Angeles 93, Houston 81
Los Angeles 102, (at) Houston 96
Los Angeles 105, (at) Houston 100
(at) Los Angeles 111, Houston 82

Playoff schedule:

Monday, May 4 at Los Angeles
Wednesday, May 6 at Los Angeles
Friday, May 8 at Houston
Sunday, May 10 at Houston
Tuesday, May 12 at Los Angeles, if necessary
Thursday, May 14 at Houston, if necessary
Sunday, May 17 at Los Angeles, if necessary

Sports Betting at the Sportsbook
Playoff Gambling Trends: Tracy McGrady goes down for the season and the Rockets get better. Go figure. In Houston’s last 13 games only one opponent has scored 100 points. Yes, they walk it up the court, but the team defense is 75 percent better without McGrady. The Lakers haven’t played in so long that it went unnoticed when Pau Gasol and Sasha Vujacic got in a few games in Eastern Europe.

How L.A. wins: Kobe Bryant and the Lakers set the tempo early and force the Rockets to run a bit. Defensively, the Lakers swarm around Yao Ming and push him out of his comfort zone, which is about two feet directly above the basket. LA bench, even without Luke Walton, is superior to Houston’s.

How Houston wins: Lots of things have to break right for Rockets. Bryant can’t run the table and has to have a couple of non-Kobe games, Lamar Odom misses a few wakeup calls and Gasol runs for cover the first time Ron Artest gives him a dirty look.

Key matchup: Artest (Battier – Sub) vs. Kobe – Artest had a great series vs. the Blazers, plus he believes he can lock up any player, no matter how talented,  and when he’s off Battier will step in to shut down the games best weapon.  On the other side well Kobe is Kobe, we all know what he’s capable of right? The winner of this matchup will no doubt be smiling when this series is all over.

Prediction: Los Angeles in 5. Lakers figure to lose concentration one time in Houston.

Do you agree with my pick? Disagree??? I want to hear from you. Comment Below Please!

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Lawrence Paul is a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog, and is a free-lance gambling and travel writer from Massachusetts.

By Lawrence Paul

Lawrence Paul is back in the saddle as a regular contributor to the Cappers Picks Blog. He's got an AMAZING knack for predicting when a team will have a letdown! Stick with our resident gambling experts sports betting tips all season long!