– Last Updated on August 28, 2019 11:24 pm
Free NBA Pick: Lakers vs Rockets NBA Odds
Looking for Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets free NBA picks & NBA odds? NBA betting sees the Lakers taking on the Rockets on Thursday December 13th, 2018 at the Toyota Center. Cappers Picks provides complimentary expert handicapping picks on all NBA basketball matchups so stay tuned for more FREE daily NBA hoops predictions like this Rockets Rockets matchup.
(17-10) Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets (12-14)
Date: Thursday December 13th
Time: 8:00 PM EST
Venue: Toyota Center, Houston, TX
NBA Moneyline Odds: off
NBA Betting Odds: Rockets -5.5
NBA Betting Total: 227
Live NBA Odds
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Both teams are going to draw a considerable amount of betting action when Los Angeles Lakers visit the Houston Rockets on Thursday December 13th. The Rockets are favored by -5.5 at the Toyota Center and aren’t a bad bet as everyone is expecting them to turn things around sooner or later – currently 2nd to last in the West.
Expect a lot of action on Los Angeles too as they’ve won 5 of their last 6. The Lakers are playing great defense lately and have a top 10 offense to go with it. Kyle Kuzma has stepped up tremendously in Brandon Ingram’s absence and that Lebron guy also tends to peak in nationally televised games.
Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers have climbed into 5th in the West and look like a legitimate contender sitting just 1.5 games out of 1st. Los Angeles has made a run of 7-3 over their last 10 with a mix of solid offense and unexpectedly good defense. LA had a very vulnerable weakness against opposing bigs that seems to have been shored up with the acquisition of Tyson Chandler.
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Lebron James and Kyle Kuzma combined for 61 points last time out vs. Miami as LA won their 2nd straight. Kuzma has now gone for 20+ in five straight and has given James legitimate offensive support. The Lakers have now scored 120+ in 3 of 5. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope has added double digits in points in four straight giving LA some nice bench depth.
Houston has buckled down a bit on defense but the Lakers should still be able to get some solid offense rolling on Thursday. LA is 9th in the NBA in points/game and is taking efficient shots with a 47.4 field goal percentage that is 7th in the league. Oddsmakers have set the total at 222.5 largely because of LA’s offense.
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The ‘over’ in Thursday night’s game would look like a solid bet if not for one thing – the Lakers defense. As crazy as that sounds LA has buckled down lately holding 5 of 7 opponents to 105 points or less. LA now ranks 19th in points/game allowed but is 9th in opponents field goal percentage. The Rockets offense has been very hit or miss lately which is good news for the visitors.
Houston Rockets
The Lakers clamping down on defense doesn’t loom positive for the Rockets offense that has failed to break 105 points in 3 of the last 4. The Rockets did look solid in a 111-104 win over Portland on Tuesday. James Harden had 29 points but was a -15 in that game. Houston got the win but continued their poor 3-point shooting going 9-29. Their season percentage is now just 33.6% from beyond the arc.
Can Harden win and cover this game by himself? The Chandler addition for LA should neutralize Clint Capela down low. Eric Gordon has failed to break 15 points in the last 5 games. Chris Paul did have a triple double last game but his production has been up-and-down lately.
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The Rockets defense has had some hiccups over the last 8 games or so. They gave up 135 to Washington and 128 to Dallas in back-to-back games to end November. Utah also notched a 118-91 win over the Rockets despite shooting 8-32 from three point land.
NBA Betting Trends:
- Lakers are 8-2 ATS their last 10 Thursday games
- Lakers are 6-2-1 ATS their last 9 vs. Western Conference
- Rockets are 1-5 ATS their last 6 games on 1 days rest
- Rockets are 3-8 ATS their last 11 overall
- Road teams is 4-1 the last five meetings
Free Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets NBA Prediction:
These two teams have already met up once this season with the Lakers getting a 124-115 win back in October. James had just 24 in that contest while Harden posted 36 but still couldn’t get the Rockets a win. Sure that game was at the Staples Center but the Lakers are just a much more improved team since then – both as a cohesive unit and in terms of personnel.
* Free NBA Betting Pick: Lakers +5.5
Houston just isn’t that good – as much as people are expecting them to be. James, Kuzma, and the Lakers defense rolls.
NBA Free Score Prediction: Lakers 112- Rockets 103
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