The Los Angeles Lakers will have yet another chance to close out the Houston Rockets in this Western Conference first-round series when the two teams tangle again on Friday night at the Toyota Center in Houston. Tipoff is set for 9:30 pm ET on Amazon Prime. The Rockets once trailed 3-0 but have stayed alive with back-to-back victories.
Let’s dive into my Lakers vs. Rockets Game 6 prediction.
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets odds
Money line: Lakers +150 / Rockets -180
Spread: Lakers +4 (-105) / Rockets -4 (-115)
Total: Over 206.5 (-110) / Under 206.5 (-110)
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets best bet: Lakers +4 (-105)
Los Angeles was -4 favorite in Game 5; now it is a +4 underdog in Game 6. Even coming off two losses and now playing on the road instead of at home, a spread swing of eight points seems a bit extreme — especially when the infirmary report is more favorable for the Lakers. Rockets star Kevin Durant will be sidelined once again on Friday. Durant has missed four of the five playoff games so far and is currently dealing with an ankle bone bruise. The 37-year-old averaged 26.0 points per game in the regular season and scored 23 in Game 2, so his absence is obviously a massive one. Although the Lakers are still without Luka Doncic, they have gotten back Austin Reaves — who missed almost a month because of an oblique problem. Reaves returned on Wednesday and scored 22 points. With 34 minutes of action under his belt, expect considerable improvement as he works his way back into game shape after going just 4-for-16 from the floor.
Why has L.A. lost twice in a row? One explanation is that the Lakers shot a horrendous 12-for-49 (24.5 percent) from three-point range in Game 4 and Game 4. There is no reason to think those struggles will continue. After all, this is a team that made 36.1 percent of its three-point attempts during the regular season, ranking 13th in the NBA in that category. Los Angeles shot 35-for-76 (46.1 percent) from downtown through the first three games of this series.
The Lakers are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight overall and 8-3 ATS in the last 11 head-to-head matchups with the Rockets.