Blake Daniels, January 16, 2023

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The Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers meet at the Crypto.com Arena on Monday night after losing their respective games on Sunday.

Houston played tough but ultimately got blown out by the L.A. Clippers on Sunday 100-121. Meanwhile, Los Angeles blew a big opportunity to upset the Philadelphia 76ers when they muffed their final play and lost 112-113 for their third straight defeat. The Rockets have lost more in a row though at 10 straight games.

Los Angeles has won nine out of the last 10 head-to-head meetings between these two teams but the Rockets won their last meeting 139-130 last March 5, 2022.

Houston Rockets

The Rockets played competitive basketball despite missing staters Jalen Green and Jae’Sean State against the L.A. Clippers last night. Green and Tate served one-game suspensions after they were involved in an on-court scuffle against the Sacramento Kings one game earlier.

The Rockets played tough for three quarters before they were blown out in the 4th by the Clippers. Eric Gordon led the team with 24 points but after trailing by just one point to start the final period, the Rockets scored only 10 points in the final 12 minutes of the game and ended up losing by 21 points.

Houston is 10-33 SU on the season and the Rockets are just 4-19 SU on the road this season. The Rockets are scoring an average of 109.1 points per game while grabbing 46.3 rebounds and issuing 22.0 assists per game. Kevin Porter Jr. is listed as day-to-day but Jalen Green and Jae’Sean Tate are expected to return to action for the Rockets.

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers have followed up their five-game winning streak with three straight losses. However, after they were soundly beaten by the Nuggets three games ago, the Lakers could have easily beaten the Mavericks and Sixers in their last two games. It’s just that the team could not execute their final plays and win the game.

Against Dallas, the refs blew to huge calls in OT that could have given the Lakers the win. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook played hero ball against the Sixers and the play backfired. LeBron James is inching closer to Kareem’s scoring record but after a 35-point game against the Sixers, he could very well sit out this back-to-back schedule.

The Lakers are 19-24 SU on the campaign and Los Angeles is an even 10-10 SU at home this season. They are scoring an average of 116.5 points per game this season while pulling down 45.0 boards per contest and issuing 25.0 assists per outing. Anthony Davis is out of the Lakers while Patrick Beverley is listed as day-to-day and LeBron Jame could sit out after playing heavy minutes against the Sixers.

Rockets vs Lakers SU Prediction

The Rockets are 1-9 SU in their last 10 games played against the Lakers. Houston is also 3-1 SU in their last four road games played in Los Angeles.

Houston Rockets SU trends:

• The Rockets are 0-10 SU in their last 10 games played.
• The Rockets are 4-19 SU in their last 23 games played on the road.
• The Rockets are 2-12 SU in their last 14 games against the Pacific Division.
• The Rockets are 5-8 SU in their last 13 games played against the Eastern Conference.

Los Angeles Lakers’ SU trends:

• The Lakers are 6-4 SU in their last 10 games played.
• The Lakers are 10-10 SU in 20 home games played this season.
• The Lakers are 1-5 SU in their last 6 games played against the Western Conference.
• The Lakers are 5-5 SU in their last 10 home games against the Western Conference

The Lakers lost another heart-breaker on Sunday as Russell Westbrook missed the potential game-winning shot against the Philadelphia 76ers one night ago. One game before that, it was LeBron James who missed what would have been a game-winning basket against the Mavericks, and the refs missed two calls that could have given the Lakers victory. Prior to this current three-game slide, the Lakers won five in a row so they could have easily won seven out of their last 8 games had they executed well down the stretch.

Los Angeles is playing in back-to-back games here so there’s a good chance that Darvin Ham will sit out LeBron James and “Let Russ” cook. Westbrook is coming off another triple-double off the bench and had he not played hero ball on that final play, Los Angeles could have had a better chance at pulling off the upset against the Sixers.

Again the Rockets, however, Westbrook should have no similar problems as this isn’t just a struggling Rockets team but will be without Kevin Porter Jr. due to injury. The Rockets head to this game having lost 10 in a row and are playing their worst basketball of the season. The Rockets only have 10 wins to show this season and as bad as the Lakers have been this year, they still have Westbrook and Schoder to take charge if the King sits out this game.

Los Angeles also has Thomas Bryant playing well. Add in guys like Troy Brown Jr. who could help in the scoring and the Lakers should have more than enough at home to topple the struggling Rockets. I’m going to go with the home team here against a Rockets team that is just 4-19 SU on the road this season.

Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers

Rockets vs Lakers ATS Prediction

The Rockets are 4-1 ATS in their last five games played. Houston is also 13-5 ATS in their last 18 games played in Los Angeles.

Houston Rockets ATS trends:

• The Rockets are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 games overall
• The Rockets are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 road games.
• The Rockets are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 Monday games.
• The Rockets are 5-11 ATS in their last 16 games playing on 0 days’ rest.
• The Rockets are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Rockets are 3-12-1 ATS in their last 16 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game
• The Rockets are 1-6 ATS in their last 7 games against a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The Rockets are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Rockets are 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS loss.
• The Rockets are 0-8 ATS in their last 8 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Rockets are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games following a straight-up loss.
• The Rockets are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games following a straight-up loss of more than 10 points.
• The Rockets are 0-6 ATS in their last 6 road games versus a team with a winning home record.

Los Angeles Lakers ATS trends:

• The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
• The Lakers are 12-2 ATS in their last 14 games vs. a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The Lakers are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games following an ATS win.
• The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games versus a team with a winning % below .400.
• The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The Lakers are 3-8 ATS in their last 11 games playing on 0 days’ rest.
• The Lakers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 Monday games.

The Rockets could be without Kevin Porter Jr. as he is listed as day-to-day. Meanwhile, the Lakers will be without Austin Reaves, Pat Bev, and AD. Los Angeles has cooled off with three consecutive losses after a five-game winning streak. But remember that they could have easily beat the Sixers the last time out. Russell Westbrook missed the potential game-winner with poor shot selection in their final play.

Houston is on its worst stretch of the season with 10 consecutive losses. The Lakers have a chance to get back on track. This is one of the few times this season where the Lakers are betting favorites. L.A. is 6-4 SU as favorites this season. They are also 10-9-1 ATS at home this season and 5-5 ATS in their last 10 home games against the Western Conference.

Give me the Lakers to snap out of their three-game losing spell on Monday night.

Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers -6.5

Rockets vs Lakers Over/Under Prediction

The total has gone over in four out of the last five games played between these two teams.

Houston Rockets over/under trends:

• The under is 5-4-1 in the Rockets’ last 10 games played.
• The over is 12-10-1 in the Rockets’ last 23 games played on the road this season.
• The over is 8-4 in the Rockets’ last 12 games played against the Eastern Conference.
• The over is 4-2 in the Rockets’ last 6 road games against the Eastern Conference.
• The over is 6-1 in the Rockets’ last 7 Monday games.
• The over is 11-4 in the Rockets’ last 15 vs. a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The under is 4-1 in the Rockets’ last 5 games playing on 0 days’ rest.

Los Angeles Lakers over/under trends:

• The under is 5-2 in the Lakers’ last 7 games played overall.
• The under is 5-2 in the Lakers’ last 7 home games.
• The under is 5-2 in the Lakers’ last 7 after allowing 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 5-2 in the Lakers’ last 7 games following an ATS win.
• The under is 5-2 in the Lakers’ last 7 games when their opponent allows 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The under is 5-2 in the Lakers’ last 7 games when their opponent scores 100 points or more in their previous game.
• The over is 6-1 in the Lakers’ last 7 games against a team with a losing straight-up record.
• The over is 5-1 in the Lakers’ last 6 games when playing on 0 days’ rest.
• The over is 9-3 in the Lakers’ last 12 games following a straight-up loss.

These two teams have combined to score an average of 228.6 points per game in their last 10 head-to-head meetings but have totaled 260.33 points per game in their most recent three encounters.

The Rockets have allowed 121 or more points four times in their last five games played and have hit a total of at least 234 points also four times during that stretch. The Lakers have also conceded at least 120 points thrice in their last five games played and at least 113 in each of those five games played. Los Angeles has scored at least 120 points five times in their last 9 games played.

Neither team has the defense to make this a low-scoring affair. Look for this game to hit the over.

Prediction: Over 234.5