Houston Rockets vs LA Lakers: Prediction and Betting Tips | Dec. 2, 2023 

The LA Lakers return home after a grueling road trip to face the Houston Rockets on Saturday. The Lakers went 2-2 during this road trip, starting on the East Coast with games against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers and Detroit Pistons before a visit to OKC in the West.

Meanwhile, the Rockets are playing their last of a three-game away run. They went winless on this road trip after back-to-back defeats against the Denver Nuggets and Dallas Mavericks.

The two teams have met twice already and split the record. Houston bagged a 128-94 win at home Nov. 8. The Lakers returned the favor at Crypto.com Arena on Nov. 19 with a close 105-104 victory.

Houston Rockets vs LA Lakers preview, betting tips and prediction

The Houston Rockets-LA Lakers game on Saturday will be at 10:30 PM ET. The game will be televised locally in Houston on Space City Home Network, while Spectrum SportsNet will carry out the coverage in Los Angeles. NBA League Pass will stream the game online.

Moneyline: Rockets (+177) vs Lakers (-212)

Spread: Rockets+5 (-109) vs Lakers -5 (-111)

Total (O/U): Rockets -112 (o222) vs Lakers -110 (u222)

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Houston Rockets vs LA Lakers Preview

Saturday's clash between the Houston Rockets and the Lakers will be their 236th head-to-head game. The Lakers hold a 147-88 advantage all-time. The teams have split the results in their first two meetings.

The Rockets are coming off back-to-back losses and have dropped to 8-8 after a hot start. They were 6-3 but haven't been able to sustain their form. The Rockets are 8-8, placed ninth in the Western Conference standings.

On the other hand, the Lakers have been streaky all year but still managed to stay two games over the .500 mark. They boast an 11-9 record. LA is seventh in the West.

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Houston Rockets vs LA Lakers predicted lineups

The Rockets have no new injury report additions apart from rookie Amen Thompson and veteran Victor Oladipo, who are yet to debut this season. They will likely stick to their regular rotation.

Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr. and Alperen Sengnun will start in that case. Jae'Sean Tate, Tari Eason, Jeff Green and Aaron Holiday will likely play the most minutes off the bench.

The Lakers have been injury-plagued but will see key role players Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt return. Hachimura has come off the bench all season, while Vanderbilt, a projected starter, is making his season debut. The Lakers are unlikely to start either forward.

D'Angelo Russell, Cam Reddish, Taurean Prince, LeBron James and Anthony Davis will likely start. Christian Wood, Austin Reaves, Hachmiura, Vanderbilt and Max Christie will mostly play significant rotation minutes in the second unit.

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Houston Rockets vs LA Lakers betting tips

LeBron James has been in tremendous form and is favored to score over 24.5 points against the Rockets. 'King James' season average is 24.8 points, which has dropped because the Lakers haven't hesitated in pulling him out during blowout wins or losses.

Meanwhile, Anthony Davis is favored to score under 25.5 points. The Lakers center has averaged 22.5 points per game across 19 appearances. He has scored 31 and 28 points, respectively, in his last two games. But Davis is struggling every other game to get going offensively.

For the Rockets, Alperen Sengun is favored to score over 20.5 points. He has scored over 21 points in each of his last three games and is averaging 21.0 points per game this season.

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Houston Rockets vs LA Lakers prediction

The Lakers are slightly favored to win against the Rockets. The Lakers boast a 7-2 home record, while the Rockets are winless on the road. LA also sees injured players like Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt return, improving their chances against the Rockets.

The totals have gone over in the Lakers' four of the last five games, while the totals have gone over in Houston's three of their five games.