Lakers at Rockets Preview: NBA Odds & Betting Tips

Two of the top teams in the Western Conference will collide for the second straight game with the Lakers looking to stay ahead of the Rockets in the standings. The Lakers hit the road following a perfect 5-0 home stand that moved them into third place in the West, slightly ahead of Houston.

Locked into a tight battle for a top 4 seed and home court advantage in the NBA playoffs, the Rockets haven’t helped their cause by alternating wins and losses over a 9-game span. They enter the 2-game series with LA tied with Minnesota and Denver in wins, just one behind LA.

Lakers at Rockets Preview

The Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets wrap up their 2-game set and season series with a matchup on Wednesday, March 18 from Toyota Center in Houston, TX. Tipoff for the crucial Western Conference tilt is set for 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Public Betting Odds Factors

In what’s been an up and down season, the Lakers are currently experiencing an up as they embark on a 6-game road trip. They covered the NBA spread in every game during a perfect 5-0 home stand that ended with a 127-125 win over Denver on Saturday.

Luka Doncic elevated into the MVP discussion with his performance during the recent home stand. Doncic scored at least 30 points in all 5 games and registered 2 triple-doubles. He nearly had another against the Bulls with 51 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists. Doncic leads the NBA averaging 32.8 points.

The Lakers were aided by the return of LeBron James in the Bulls game, though they fared well without him. James missed the first 3 games of the home stand and chipped in with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.

Following a 36-point loss to Denver the Rockets rebounded with a narrow 107-105 win over New Orleans on Friday, their third straight at home. They failed to cover the 5.5-point spread and are just 2-6 against the NBA betting line in their last 8 games.

Houston has been among the least profitable teams this season boasting a 43.9 percent cover rate. They’re even worse at home with a 12-19 ATS record for the second-worst cover rate in the NBA.

Beating a top team in the conference will do a lot for Houston’s collective psyche. Their last 2 losses were to West powers Denver and San Antonio by a combined 61 points when they went 12 of 61 from 3-point range.

Lakers at Rockets Predictions

Playing on the road will be something different for the Lakers. They just finished a stretch where they played 15 of 18 games at home winning 11 of those contests. LA dropped 2 of the 3 away games in that span and is just 6-8 SU and ATS in the last 14 road contests. And they average roughly 4.5 points per game less on the road.

The Rockets are one of the better defensive teams in the NBA allowing the fourth-fewest points and boasting the eighth-best efficiency rating. It’s helped them cash the UNDER in 3 straight games overall and in their last 3 home games. They’ve cashed the UNDER in 2/3 of their home games this season.

Lakers at Rockets Betting Tips

The Lakers are on a heater with payouts in 5 straight games and in 8 of their last 9 outings. They are 38-29 ATS overall for the 7th best road cover rate.

The Rockets are just 2-6 ATS in their last 8 games overall, but the payouts came in home wins over Toronto and Portland.

The UNDER has cashed in Houston’s last 3 games and in 4 of 5.

Lakers at Rockets Head to Head and Key Stats

The recent series has been even with the teams splitting the last 10 games. Houston ended a 2-game slide with a 119-96 road win on Christmas day holding LA to its lowest point total in the series in 7 games.