The Houston Rockets (17-10) and Los Angeles Lakers (19-9) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California. The game will be broadcast live on ABC.
The Rockets are 2.5-point favorites over the Lakers on the spread (Rockets -2.5), with the over/under set at 231.5 total points. Houston is a -135 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +114 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Rockets vs. Lakers predictions and NBA picks for Christmas Day.
Rockets vs Lakers Prediction, Picks
- Rockets vs Lakers Pick: Over 231.5 (-110)
My Lakers vs Rockets best bet is on the over, with the best price currently available DraftKings. However, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Rockets vs Lakers Odds
| Rockets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -110 | 231.5 -110o / -110u | -135 |
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -110 | 231.5 -110o / -110u | +114 |
Rockets vs Lakers NBA Christmas Day Preview
Last season, the Rockets and Lakers earned the second and third seeds. However, they both fell in the first round of the playoffs.
This season, the Rockets are sixth in the West while the Lakers are fourth, but both enter this matchup stumbling.
With games against the Clippers, Mavericks, Pelicans, and Kings on the docket, the Rockets had a chance to make up ground in the Western Conference standings.
Instead, they have dropped five of their past seven games and their defensive struggles will likely frustrate head coach Ime Udoka.
The Rockets are 10th in defensive rating this season, but have fallen to 27th over the past seven games. They have given up 120 points or more in several recent losses, most recently falling 128-108 to the Clippers.
However, one of the teams that has been worse than Houston defensively is Los Angeles, which is 28th in defensive rating over its past seven games.
The Lakers have lost four of their past seven games and fell to the Suns 132-108 on Tuesday night. They have also battled injuries of late to Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura, and DeAndre Ayton. They did get Reaves back on Tuesday, but Doncic left Saturday's loss to the Clippers with a leg contusion.
Doncic is expected to play tonight, but LeBron James may take the lead in this one, as it could be his final Christmas Day game. James will take on his longtime friend and rival Kevin Durant in what will be their fifth meeting on Christmas Day.
Rockets vs Lakers Prediction, Betting Analysis
The Lakers rank 24th in defensive rating this season and have struggled against playoff contenders. This will be their first meeting this season against the Rockets, who are third in offensive rating.
The Rockets are the better defensive team in this game, but haven't played like it of late and will now face the league's seventh-ranked offense.
I expect that there will be at least 230 points in this game, and there are a few trends to support that. The Lakers are 11-0 to the over at home this season, while the Rockets are 12-5 to the over in road games. Additionally, since James joined the Lakers, they are 5-2 to the over on Christmas.
In 19 Christmas Day games, James is averaging 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 7.2 assists. That comes out to 41.4 PRA, and he is also averaging 40.3 PRA in his four Christmas games against Durant.
Conversely, in 29 career games against James, Durant is averaging 28.6 points per game. This season, he is averaging 25.2 points per game, and has gotten to that number in six of his past 10 games.
Doncic suffered an injury on Christmas last year, but is no stranger to big moments on Christmas. In 2023, he had 50 points and 15 assists as his Mavericks defeated Durant's Suns on Christmas. Doncic is the league's leading scorer and has scored 30 points in eight of his past 10 games.
I will parlay those picks with Alperen Sengun going for six assists. He is averaging 6.9 assists per game this season, and has recorded six in three of his past five games. He has also had six assists in two of his past three games against the Lakers, who are 23rd in assists allowed this season.
Pick: Over 231.5 (-110)
Rockets vs Lakers Parlay Picks
- LeBron James Over 33.5 Points, Rebounds, and Assists
- Luka Doncic 30+ Points
- Kevin Durant 25+ Points
- Alperen Sengun 6+ Assists
Parlay: +500 via DraftKings
Spread
I have no play on the Rockets vs Lakers spread.
Moneyline
I'm going to pass on the Lakers vs Rockers moneyline.
Over/Under
I'm backing the Rockets vs Lakers over and would play that up to 232.
