Rockets vs. Lakers Betting Preview - Sportsbook.com

[Qbins Missile Crisis]

NBA: Rockets bagging lots of green

The Houston Rockets have covered an incredible 12 straight games against the spread, making their backers plenty of cash in the process.

Houston has also won 20 in a row straight-up heading into a Friday night home game against Charlotte. An expected win against the Bobcats will give them the second-longest winning streak in the history of the league, and leave them only behind 1971-72 Lakers who won 33 straight.

Houston (44-20) attempts to keep their torrid pace alive Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers at 3:30 pm ET on ABC. Click here for all the latest NBA odds.

The amazing thing about Houston’s streak is that it has surprised even the most hardcore NBA fans. Houston won 12 games in a row before Yao Ming’s season-ending injury, and most expected them to fall apart without their 7’6” giant. Instead, Houston has won another eight straight games with Ming gone.

You may be asking yourself how can Houston lose one of the top big men in the game and seemingly not miss a beat. The answer is simple. Tracy McGrady has taken them on his back by averaging over 25 PPG and six assists, and they are a lot deeper squad than in previous years. Combine those factors with some great team defense and you have a winning combination.



Winning is exactly what the Lakers (45-19 heading into Friday night) have done this season on their way to the best record in the Western Conference. The big turnaround came with the lopsided acquisition of Pau Gasol from Memphis. Since his debut, L.A. is 15-3 straight-up and 12-6 ATS.

However, the Lakers are just 2-4 ATS in their last six games. And in the 18 games since acquiring Gasol, only six have been against opponents with winning records. That’s made for a pretty easy stretch of wins.

It’s also worth mentioning that Houston has had a pretty easy schedule since Ming went down, only playing two games on the road and having some cupcake wins at home versus the likes of Memphis, Indiana, and New Jersey.

The schedule now gets much tougher for the Rockets as a date with Boston follows Sunday’s showdown. Houston then has three tough road games at New Orleans, Golden State, and Phoenix.

The key matchup for this game is Houston’s defense versus the Lakers’ offense. Houston gives up the 4th least points in the league at 91.8 per game. Los Angeles scores more than 108 PPG, third best in the NBA.

With Gasol aboard, the Lakers do not depend on just Kobe Bryant for scoring, and that’s what makes them dangerous. The Houston defense will need to be in top form to slow this juggernaut down.

If they can, Houston will continue making history.

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