The Los Angeles Lakers (43-25) and Houston Rockets (41-26) will square off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. ET from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The game will broadcast live on ESPN.
The Rockets are 2.5-point favorites over the Lakers on the spread (Rockets -2.5), with the over/under set at 222.5 total points. Houston is a -135 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Los Angeles is +110 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lakers vs. Rockets predictions and NBA picks for Wednesday, March 18.
Lakers vs Rockets Prediction, Pick
- Lakers vs Rockets pick: Lakers Moneyline (+110)
My Rockets vs. Lakers best bet is on Los Angeles moneyline at +110. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Lakers vs Rockets Odds
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+2.5 -115 | 222.5 -110o / -110u | +110 |
| Rockets Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-2.5 -105 | 222.5 -110o / -110u | -135 |
Lakers vs Rockets NBA Preview
The Rockets will host one of the hottest teams in the NBA tonight in the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers have won six straight games and are now third in the Western Conference standings. Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves have carried Los Angeles with spectacular numbers during that stretch.
Doncic, the NBA's leading scorer, has averaged 37.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 7.7 assists over his previous six outings while shooting 48.7% from the field and 40.7% from long range.
Reaves is averaging 25.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game on 49.5% shooting since March 6, which is nothing to scoff at, either.
LeBron James might still have the biggest name, but the 41-year-old is clearly taking a backseat to the younger talent down the home stretch of the regular season.
Houston is .500 (4-4) in March, with a 1-3 record against teams with winning records. The Rockets' offense has been a serious problem as of late.
Houston is scoring just 108.4 points per game this month. For reference, the Nets are averaging a league-low 106.6 points per contest.
Kevin Durant and Alperen Sengun's scoring averages have taken slight dips, while Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard's are on the rise.
The Rockets will likely need all of their scorers to perform to come out on top against a Lakers offense that has all the momentum.
Lakers vs Rockets Predictions, Betting Analysis
I like the Lakers' odds to pull off the upset here. They may be on the road, but they are also the hotter team with more recent success at both ends of the floor.
Los Angeles is scoring the seventh-most points per game (119.8) this month, while giving up the sixth-fewest points per game (110.2). Meanwhile, there are several reasons to be worried about Houston.
The Rockets aren't shooting 3-pointers well or getting to the free-throw line. They have made just 8.6 triples and 16.5 free throws per contest over their previous eight outings. Neither of those figures stacks up to the Lakers' numbers (13.8 and 18.0).
This Lakers team is incredibly difficult to beat when Doncic and Reaves are playing efficiently enough to make LeBron a true tertiary option on offense. So, I'll grab Los Angeles on the moneyline tonight.
Pick: Lakers Moneyline (+110)
