The Houston Rockets play the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night in the regular season's opening game for both teams. If you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in. Thanks to Houston’s improving defense, the under total has cashed out in four of the last five games for the Rockets. In several cases, the combined score hasn’t even come close to the projected total. With the Pelicans on short rest, the best bet could be for that trend to continue. Prediction: 111-106, Rockets. Offering a unique betting experience - Fascinating Graphics, 99% Winning Chance, Provably Fair, Mobile Friendly. Eastern Michigan Eagles vs Toledo Rockets College Basketball betting trends for Jan 12, 2021 including ATS, Over/Under, and head-to-head trends. Under is 16-5 in Rockets last 21 games after.
In the start of an indefinite run without starting center Christian Wood, the Houston Rockets are hoping veteran big man DeMarcus Cousins will pick up much of the slack. His first chance to do so comes Saturday at home versus a division rival, with tipoff between the Rockets and San Antonio Spurs set for 7 p.m. Central from Toyota Center.
While it’s been an up-and-down season for the former All-Star, the optimistic case with Cousins is that he’s generally played better with more minutes. When Wood missed three games with his initial right ankle injury in late January, Cousins started all three and averaged 17.3 points (40.9% on 3-pointers), 14.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game.
Aside from Wood, who again sprained his right ankle in Thursday’s game at Memphis and will be “re-evaluated on a weekly basis,” the Rockets could be much healthier than they’ve been in recent days.
Veteran guards John Wall and Victor Oladipo staggered maintenance absences during Wednesday and Thursday’s road back-to-back, so Saturday’s game will likely be their first time to start together in the backcourt since Monday. That game was a 30-point blowout at Oklahoma City, in which the Rockets set a franchise record for 3-pointers.
Wall is listed as questionable with back spasms, but he played through the issue Thursday, and head coach Stephen Silas said postgame that Wall had told him he was fine. If for any reason that changes and Wall is unable to go, sixth man Eric Gordon would start in his place.
The lines, courtesy of BetMGM
Point spread: Rockets -1.5 (-110), Spurs +1.5 (-110)Moneyline: Rockets -120/Spurs +100Over-under: 222.5 (-110 O, -110 U)Player O/U Scoring Props: Victor Oladipo 22.5 (+100 O, -130 U), DeMarcus Cousins 16.5 (-105 O, -115 U), Jae’Sean Tate 9.5 (-125 O, +100 U), PJ Tucker 5.5 (-120 O, -105 U); DeMar DeRozan 20.5 (-120 O, -105 U), Keldon Johnson 14.5 (-120 O, -105 U), Jakob Poeltl 8.5 (+105 O, -140 U)Place your legal, online sports bets in CO, IN, MI, NV, NJ, PA, TN, and WV at BetMGM.
Saturday’s projected starters for San Antonio are Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, DeMar DeRozan, Keldon Johnson and Jakoc Poeltl. Meanwhile, Houston is expected to counter with John Wall, Victor Oladipo, Jae’Sean Tate, PJ Tucker and DeMarcus Cousins.
The Spurs have a long injury report of their own, with LaMarcus Aldridge (hip flexor) and Lonnie Walker IV (stomach illness) each listed as out. Dejounte Murray is questionable with a sore left ankle. For the Rockets, defensive ace David Nwaba (left ankle sprain) is also questionable.
The Rockets and Spurs split a pair of games in San Antonio last month, but Houston was severely short-handed at the time: Wall, Oladipo and sixth man Eric Gordon were unavailable. This time, the Rockets enter with seven wins in their last eight games, while the Spurs are 4-4 over that same span. With a win on Saturday night, Houston would jump San Antonio in the tightly packed Southwest Division race.
Advice and prediction
The Rockets are 9-4 when John Wall plays this season compared to 2-6 when he sits. Moreover, they are 7-0 when he plays without James Harden. Assuming the five-time All-Star plays through the back spasms, that’s one source of optimism as the Rockets begin what they hope is a brief era without their star big man in Wood.
Rocket Betting Game
Despite being a half-game worse in record going into Saturday, the Rockets (11-10) look like the better team on paper. Houston ranks No. 8 overall in net rating, as compared to No. 18 for the Spurs (12-10). In the last eight games, there’s even more of a disparity, with the Rockets ranking No. 2 in the NBA and San Antonio at No. 23 overall.
Some of that gap should shrink given the absence of Wood, who was having an All-Star caliber season. But with a home game and Houston getting a day of rest beforehand, there’s reason to believe Wall and the defensively stout Rockets can grind out another victory — and perhaps another under with the cumulative points total.
Prediction: 112-105, Rockets
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The Los Angeles Lakers (8-3) are favored (by 4.5 points) to continue a five-game road win streak when they visit the Houston Rockets (3-5) on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 8:00 PM ET. The matchup has a point total of 222.
The betting insights in this article reflect odds data from DraftKings Sportsbook as of January 12, 2021, 4:07 PM ET. See table below for current betting odds.
Lakers vs Rockets Betting Odds
Rocket Ship Betting Game
Lakers vs Rockets Props
Looking to bet on props for this game? Use our prop search tool to find the best odds across legal sportsbooks in the US.
Injury Report as of January 12
Lakers:
Wesley Matthews: Out (Achilles),
Jared Dudley: Out (Calf),
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope: Day To Day (Ankle),
Anthony Davis: Day To Day (Adductor),
LeBron James: Day To Day (Ankle)
Rockets:
Eric Gordon: Day To Day (Lower leg),
Chris Clemons: Out For Season (Achilles),
Danuel House Jr.: Out (Back),
John Wall: Day To Day (Migraine),
Brodric Thomas: Day To Day (Ankle)
Lakers and Rockets Records ATS
- Los Angeles is under .500 against the spread this season with a record of 5-6
- The Lakers have a losing record against the spread when favored by at least 4.5 points, going 4-5 this season.
- Los Angeles and its opponents have gone over the set total in only 4 of 11 games this season (36.4%).
- Houston has generally come up short ATS this season, with a 3-5 record.
- When they play as at least a 4.5-point underdog, the Rockets tend to outperform with a 2-1 record against the spread.
- Four of Houston’s eight games (50%) this season haven’t covered the over/under.
Rocket Crash Betting Game
Head to Head
In their last meeting, the Lakers took down the Rockets 120-102. Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 27 points, and Christian Wood paced the Rockets with 23. The Lakers covered the spread as 4-point favorites, and the teams put up a total of 222 total points to go under the 224-point over/under.
| Date | Favorite | Home Team | Spread | Total | Favorite Moneyline | Underdog Moneyline | Game Type | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1/10/2021 | Lakers | Rockets | -4 | 224 | -180 | 149 | Regular Season | 120-102 LAL |
| 9/12/2020 | Lakers | Lakers | -6.5 | 217 | -274 | 221 | Playoffs | 119-96 LAL |
| 9/10/2020 | Lakers | Rockets | -5 | 218.5 | -210 | 170 | Playoffs | 110-100 LAL |
| 9/8/2020 | Lakers | Rockets | -4.5 | 222 | -195 | 160 | Playoffs | 112-102 LAL |
| 9/6/2020 | Lakers | Lakers | -5.5 | 223 | -248 | 204 | Playoffs | 117-109 LAL |
| 9/4/2020 | Lakers | Lakers | -6.5 | 227 | -303 | 244 | Playoffs | 112-97 HOU |
| 8/6/2020 | Rockets | Rockets | -3.5 | 227.5 | -162 | 134 | Regular Season | 113-97 HOU* |
| 2/6/2020 | Lakers | Lakers | -6 | 239.5 | -251 | 206 | Regular Season | 121-111 HOU |
| 1/18/2020 | Rockets | Rockets | -2.5 | 235.5 | -140 | 118 | Regular Season | 124-115 LAL* |
| 2/21/2019 | – | Lakers | – | – | – | – | Regular Season | 111-106 LAL |
Rockets: Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon
Rocket Gambling Game Tiktok
Scoring Trends
- In Los Angeles’ matchups this season, the Lakers and their opponents have gone over Tuesday’s total of 222 points 45 times (409.1% of opportunities).
- Five Houston games this year (62.5% of its matchups) ended with a final score greater than Tuesday’s total of 222 points.
- The Lakers have seen a 220.6 average over/under in their games this season, 1.4 points fewer than the over/under in this contest.
- A difference of 3.5 points separates the average total points bet in Rockets’ games (225.5 points) and this matchup’s over/under (222 points).
- The Lakers’ average implied point total this season is 3.5 more points than their implied total in Tuesday’s game (116.5 implied points on average compared to 113 implied points in this game).
- Los Angeles has scored more than its implied point total for this matchup (113) 51 times this season.
- The 116.1-point average implied total on the season for the Rockets is 7.1 more points than the team’s 109-point implied total in this matchup.
- Houston has scored more than 109 points in four games this season.
- The Lakers are at the eighth spot in the NBA’s scoring charts (114.5 PPG), while the Rockets allow the 19th-fewest points per game (112.8) in the league.
- The Lakers have out-scored their opponents by a total of 91 points this season (8.3 points per game on average), while the Rockets have an even point differential on the year.
Lakers Leaders
- LeBron James leads the Lakers in points and assists. He puts up 24.0 points per game while adding 7.7 assists.
- James’ points prop over/under for the game is set at 25.5, 1.5 points greater than his season average of 24.0.
- Davis paces Los Angeles with 8.6 rebounds per game.
- Davis’ PRA prop total for the game is set at 37.5, 2.8 greater than his season average of 34.7.
- James is the top three-point shooter for the Lakers, connecting on 2.1 per game.
- James’ three pointers made prop total for the contest is set at 2.5, 0.4 shots greater than his season average of 2.1.
- Davis racks up 1.3 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, both team-high averages.
- Davis’ steals prop total for the contest is set at 1.5, 0.2 steals greater than his season average of 1.3.
Rocket League Betting
Rockets Leaders
- James Harden takes the top spot on the Rockets scoring and assist lists, putting up 26.0 points and 11.0 assists per game.
- Harden’s assists prop over/under for the contest is set at 7.5 assists, 3.5 lower than his season average of 11.0.
- Wood’s 9.7 rebounds per game paces Houston’s rebounding effort. He also adds 23.3 points per game.
- Wood’s PRA prop over/under for the contest is set at 32.5, 1.8 lower than his season average of 34.3.
- Harden makes more threes per game than any other member of the Rockets, cashing in 3.4 treys per game.
- Harden’s three pointers made prop over/under for the game is set at 3.5, 0.1 shots higher than his season average of 3.4.
- Houston’s John Wall has the top spot on the team’s steals leaderboard with 1.2 per game and Wood is first in blocks with 1.9 per game.
- Wood’s blocks prop over/under for the game is set at 1.5, 0.4 blocks lower than his season average of 1.9.
Predictions
The model line and the DraftKings line are within 0.2 points of each other.
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