The Los Angeles Lakers will look to double down on their mastery of the Houston Rockets this season when these teams meet at STAPLES Center Wednesday. As for the Rockets, it’s still eyeing to get their second win of the season.
Catch this game live on Wednesday, November 3, at 10:30 AM, Manila time.
Away: Houston Rockets (1-5/0-3 on the road)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Kevin Porter Jr.
- SG: Jalen Green
- SF: Jae’Sean Tate
- PF: Christian Wood
- C: Daniel Theis
The Rockets are still a one-win team after losing their fourth game in a row last Monday to the Lakers, 95-85. Houston got outworked by the Lakers in almost all key areas, and perhaps the most glaring shortcoming of the Rockets in that game was in ball security. The Lakers forced Houston to cough the ball up a total of 27 times, while Los Angeles only committed 14 turnovers. Kevin Porter Jr. will have to be more patient after recording six turnovers and shooting just 6-of-13 from the field for 12 points.
Christian Wood shined with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, which obviously were not enough to offset the errors and poor shooting of Houston as a team. If Rockets guards and wings can cut down on their turnovers and be focused more on finding Wood for high-percentage buckets instead of taking contested jumpers, the Rockets might just get another cover in Tinseltown. They are 12-5 against the spread in their last 17 games against the Lakers in Hollywood.
Home: Los Angeles Lakers (4-3/3-2 at home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Russell Westbrook
- SG: Malik Monk
- SF: Kent Bazemore
- PF: LeBron James
- C: Anthony Davis
LeBron James and Anthony Davis are listed as questionable and probable, respectively ahead of this rematch against the Rockets, but don’t expect them to miss the game. James has already tweeted about his excitement for Wednesday’s outing, while Davis had just played 33 minutes in the Lakers’ win over Houston last Monday at STAPLES Center. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony will look to scare away the Rockets anew after he played the role of Houston’s bogeyman on Halloween, as he went off for 23 points with five 3-pointers off the bench.
The Lakers, who are 6-2 ATS in their last eight against Houston, didn’t shoot well against the Rockets, making just 40.6% of their shots from the field, but their defense turned the tide in their favor. They came away with 15 steals and nine blocks. Anthony even had four blocks and a couple of steals. Melo isn’t known for his defense, but the Rockets have a penchant for showing the stinginess of a team’s defense because of their carelessness. The Rockets are 30th and 29th in the league in turnovers per game and turnovers per play, respectively.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Rockets covered in the first meeting with the Lakers this season because they took 29 shots from the foul line and made 15, while LA was only 8-of-13 from the charity stripe. That could be the story again this Wednesday, as the Rockets are great at drawing fouls (2nd in the NBA), while the Lakers give up a lot per game (26th). Take the Rockets to cover (+10.5)
Over/Under: Both teams are well-rested and neither hit the road before this game. Take the Over (217.0)
