A defensive battle can be expected from the Houston Rockets (38-41) and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers (16-63) when two of the league’s top scoring defenses battle it out at the Toyota Center. The game starts at 3:30 pm ET on Sunday, Apr. 10 and will air on RSW and TWC.
The Rockets are expecting a better outcome after their 124-115 loss to the Suns on Thursday. James Harden was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points. The Lakers, meanwhile, are feeling some disappointment after their 110-102 loss against the Pelicans on Friday. D’Angelo Russell led the game in scoring with 32 points.
The Rockets have won all three contests against the Lakers this season, including a 112-95 victory in their last matchup. Harden was the game’s top overall scorer with 31 points.
The Rockets are trying to improve upon their records of 38-41 Straight Up (SU) and 33-45-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have been able to pull off wins at home against the Western Conference, going, but have struggled ATS with a record of 15-24. The Rockets come into the game with the fifth-ranked scoring offense in the league, averaging 105.8 points per game. Something to watch out for is if Houston can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.7 points off turnovers per game.
As for their opponent, the Lakers have a record of 36-43 ATS and 16-63 SU. In Western Conference games, Los Angeles has gone 16-63 SU and 36-43 ATS. The Lakers are in for a physical game against Houston. The Rockets are not afraid to send opponents to the free throw line, averaging 22.5 fouls per game.
With the Rockets’ last win against Los Angeles, their SU record against the Lakers moves to 8-2 over the last 10 meetings. The Rockets also hold the advantage ATS with a record of 8-2.
Predictions: SU Winner – Hou
Notes
“Houston is 2-4 ATS in its last 6 games “.
“Houston is 3-7 SU in its last 10 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston’s last 10 games “.
“Houston is 3-8 ATS in its last 11 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 6 of Houston’s last 8 games at home”.
“Houston is 8-1 ATS in its last 9 games when playing LA Lakers”.
“Houston is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing LA Lakers”.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Houston’s last 6 games when playing LA Lakers”.
“Houston is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 games when playing at home against LA Lakers”.
“Houston is 6-2 SU in its last 8 games when playing at home against LA Lakers”.
The Houston Rockets score 105.8 points per game (ranked fifth), while the Los Angeles Lakers give up a whopping 106.7 (ranked 27th).
On average, Houston puts up 105.4 points per home game (ranked 10th). Los Angeles ranks 30th in points allowed per road game with 110.3.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Houston Rockets are a winning 14-5. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Los Angeles Lakers have an underachieving record of 5-42.
When giving up at least 100 points, the Houston Rockets have a 24-36 record. When registering triple digits, the Los Angeles Lakers have a subpar record of 11-21.
The Lakers have a defensive rating of 109.9 (ranked 30th). The Rockets rank eighth for their offensive rating of 105.7.
The Houston Rockets average 100.1 possessions and 1.057 points per possession in games this season. The Los Angeles Lakers average fewer possessions with 98.0, as well as fewer points per possession with .994.
Houston is among the top-ranked teams based on its average effective field goal percentage of 51.3% (ranked seventh in the NBA). Los Angeles is an abysmal 3-44 when opponents have a similar or higher effective field goal percentage.
On average, the Houston Rockets attempt 30.0 three point field goals per game and the Los Angeles Lakers attempt 24.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Houston is 32-34, while Los Angeles has an underachieving record of 8-31.
Houston has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.43 this season (ranked 26th), while Los Angeles ranks lower at 27th with an A/TO of 1.39.
The Rockets rank 22nd in rebounds per game with 42.8, while the Lakers rank 20th with 42.9 per game.
The Los Angeles Lakers rank 11th in offensive rebounding, while the Houston Rockets rank 28th in defensive rebounding.
Houston is one of the top teams in forced turnovers, with opponents averaging a TOV% of 15.7% (ranked second). Los Angeles has an abysmal record of 3-16 SU this season when its TOV% reaches 15.7% or greater.
