The Los Angeles Lakers are in a familiar position heading into Game 2 of their Western Conference Semifinals series against the Houston Rockets (down 1-0). In a major playoff plot twist, the Miami Heat look to complete a sweep of 1-seed Milwaukee Bucks.
Our action is going on the West’s second-round matchup.
BetMGM Sportsbook has NBA odds and NBA props for all NBA games, so we’re bringing you the best bet for every day of the NBA playoffs.
Under 222.5 (-110) in Rockets vs. Lakers
If you are paying attention to the NBA restart then you’ve heard people talk about Houston’s defensive awakening and Los Angeles’ offensive struggles. The Rockets have seamlessly transitioned into a hardnose defensive team.
They have the best defensive rating in the playoffs and are ranked 2nd in opponent’s 3-point percentage and 5th in opponent’s free throw attempts. We saw these manifest in Game 1 where the Lakers only attempted 19 free throws and shot .289% from three.
Los Angeles supposedly fixed its offense after Game 1 of their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, when they scored 93 points, but that was a far worse defensive team that was also banged up.
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We got some trendy reasons to like the Under 222.5 (-110) in the Rockets-Lakers. Houston has a 3-5 Over/Under record and the lowest O/U margin in the playoffs (-10.6). Los Angeles is 2-4 O/U themselves and has a -6 O/U margin. The total has gone Under in four of Lakers’ last five games against the Rockets and 11 of Houston’s last 15 games this season.
There’s a wide discrepancy between the sharps and joes on the total as well. According to Pregame.com, 76% of the total money wagered has been on the Under compared to just 58% of the tickets being on the Under. The amount of money wagered is sharper than the tickets because sharps bet more money than you or I.
Defenses will pace Game 2, TAKE UNDER 222.5 (-110). New to sports betting? A $110 bet on Under 222.5 (-110) pays a $100 profit if the Rockets-Lakers combine for 222 or fewer total points.
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