An NBA series & game day preview between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers.
Series Start: September 4, 2020
Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex – Kissimmee, FL
TV: Friday – 9:00 PM EST | ESPN
Sunday – 8:30 PM EST | ABC
Tuesday – 9:00 PM EST | TNT
September 10th – TBD | TNT
9/12 (If Necessary) – TBD
9/14 (If Necessary) – TBD
9/16 (If Necessary) – TBD
Series Odds: LAL -355
Game One Odds: LAL -6.5 O/U 224
Houston Rockets
Record: 44-28
Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 52-19
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Series/Game Day Preview
It’s the Houston Rockets against the Los Angeles Lakers in a second round match-up of the NBA Playoffs. While Lakers cruised through their series with the Portland Trail Blazers, winning the series 4-1, the Rockets went the distance with the Oklahoma City Thunder, winning that series 4-3 and the final game coming down to the final possession. The Lakers are the favorite here, as they should be, but it should be known that Houston won the season series, 2-1.
Rockets
Boy did the Rockets get close to being eliminated from the NBA Playoffs Wednesday night. If not for a brilliant defensive stop by James Harden in the the final seconds, it would be the Thunder facing the Lakers here. For the Rockets to have a fighting chance against LA in this series, James Harden NEEDS to be James Harden. That means he needs to score and score A LOT. Harden did not score as much as usual in the series against the Thunder and that almost cost his team big time.
But something seems off with Harden on the offensive side and now going up against one of the best defensive teams in the league in the Lakers, I don’t see him scoring above 30-35 points much in this series. Expect a ton of 3s as usual from the Rockets as it will be hard for them to drive to the basket with Anthony Davis, Javale McGee, and Dwight Howard defending the paint.
Lakers
Let’s be honest. As long as Lebron James and Anthony Davis each have a good series, the Lakers will advance to the next round. Going up against the Rockets’ small ball roster, James and Davis should be able to dominate scoring and on the boards. I would not be surprised if James averages a triple-double and Davis averages at least 25 points and 10-12 rebounds in this series. The Lakers will dominate the boards on both sides of the ball in this series as well so taking any OVER on Lakers’ rebounds props would be smart. This team has so much to prove and I think that will drive them to take down the Rockets in 5 or less games.
Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers Facts & Fantasy Basketball Predictions
Rockets vs. Lakers Facts
- Houston is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.
- Los Angeles is 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games.
- The TOTAL went UNDER in 2 of the 3 games between these two teams during the regular season.
StatementGames Fantasy Basketball Picks
- Anthony Davis OVER 8.5 Rebounds
- Lebron James OVER 9.5 Assists
- James Harden UNDER 34.5 PTS
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