Led by future Hall of Famers LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Los Angeles Lakers are the defending NBA champions — which makes them the league’s gold standard entering the 2020-21 season.
They’re also the team that ended the season of James Harden and the Houston Rockets last September, winning 4-1 in a best-of-seven series in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Should James and Davis play on Sunday night, there’s no shortage of juicy storylines.
The Rockets have changed significantly in the months since, headlined by John Wall and Christian Wood replacing Russell Westbrook and Robert Covington in the starting lineup. But is that enough to compete with the league’s best? That’s what the Rockets could get to measure on Sunday and Tuesday, when the Lakers visit Houston for a pair of games.
The Rockets (3-4) are several games off the pace of Los Angeles (7-3) to start the new season, though Houston has been ravaged by injuries and quarantines in its losses. Now, with nearly the entire roster except for Danuel House Jr. (back spasms) available, the Rockets feel they’re better than that initial record — and the 42-point home romp over Orlando on Friday night could offer evidence of that. The Lakers, however, will likely bring a much stronger test when they visit Toyota Center.
The extent of Houston’s test from the Lakers isn’t completely certain, since James (left ankle sprain), Davis (right adductor sprain), and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (left ankle sprain) are all listed on the injury report as questionable to play. Should the stars play, it would appear on paper to be the toughest game of the young season for the Rockets.
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The Lakers are slight favorites, but the number is limited — likely due to the injury concerns and it being a road game in Houston.
The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
- Point spread: Lakers -3.5 (-105), Rockets +3.5 (-115)
- Moneyline: Lakers -150/Rockets +125
- Over-under: 224.5 (-110 O, -110 U)
- Player O/U Scoring Props: James Harden 28.5 (-105 O, -120 U), John Wall 20.5 (-120 O, -105 U), Christian Wood 19.5 (-110 O, -115 U), PJ Tucker (-110 O, -115 U); Lakers TBD
Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, and WV at BetMGM.
From NBA.com’s game notes, the projected Laker starters are Dennis Schröder and Kyle Kuzma in the backcourt and LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Marc Gasol in the frontcourt. Meanwhile, Houston lists James Harden, John Wall, David Nwaba, PJ Tucker, and Christian Wood.
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Advice and prediction
The best bet could be for Harden to exceed his personal over/under scoring mark. In the last three games, he’s averaged just 17 points — less than half of his per-game mark in each of the last two seasons. For the NBA’s three-time defending scoring champion, that’s an unsustainably low figure, and the Rockets will probably need Harden’s dominance as a scorer to have a shot against the defending champs. Expect Harden to embrace the challenge and come out aggressive on the big stage.
Houston coach Stephen Silas said Saturday that he had closely studied what the Lakers did defensively versus Harden in the 2020 playoffs, specifically in terms of late traps. Sunday’s game could offer Silas the chance to show adjustments, which Mike D’Antoni seemingly lacked. The presence of Wall to attack any four-on-three scenarios — and his superior shooting, relative to Westbrook — may also provide better floor balance.
Similarly, the move from Covington to Wood makes Houston much more diverse in the frontcourt, with far more playmaking potential. It might cost them defensively, especially early in the season, but the combination of Harden, Wall, and Wood should make it a high-scoring affair.
Prediction: 114-112, Rockets; Harden scores 34 points.
Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.
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