Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers 9/4/2020 NBA Picks and Previews

Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers 9/4/2020 – The Houston Rockets escaped the Oklahoma City Thunder in seven action-packed games to earn the right to face the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round. Game 1 of this star-studded series will begin on Friday, September 4 inside the “Bubble” at the AdventhHealth Arena in Wesley Chapel, Florida. ESPN will be the official broadcast partner for this matchup and the live coverage starts at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time. For those who want to watch the game through live stream, it is available for NBA League Pass subscribers and SofaScore. With just days after Game 7, NBA Playoff Lines see the Los Angeles Lakers carrying a huge advantage in their first encounter.

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— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) September 3, 2020

Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers 9/4/2020 Betting Odds

Team	SP/RL	TOTAL	ML
Houston Rockets	+7 (-110)	226.5 o (-110)	+245
Los Angeles Lakers	-7 (-110)	226.5 u (-110)	-290

The Houston Rockets made it out of the first round and much credit to their defense in Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder. James Harden has been the most consistent score leader for the Rockets and much s expected from him in this series. On the other hand, Russell Westbrook just came from an injury and seems to be shaking some rust in the previous series. The success of the team also relies on how Westbrook will play. Ryan Covington has been a great offensive addition for the team and trading for him showed some dividends against the Thunder.

Tweets by HoustonRockets

Players to Watch: J. Harden SG GP 7 GS 7 MIN 36.4 PTS 29.7 OR 0.7 DR 5.6 REB 6.3 AST 8 STL 1.6 BLK 0.7 TO 3.1 PF 4.1 AST/TO 2.5 PER 28.1

E. Gordon SG GP 7 GS 7 MIN 34.1 PTS 18.1 OR 0.7 DR 2.6 REB 3.3 AST 3.4 STL 1.3 BLK 0.9 TO 2.7 PF 2.6 AST/TO 1.3 PER 12.77

R. Westbrook PG GP 3 GS 3 MIN 28.3 PTS 14.7 OR 1.3 DR 5 REB 6.3 AST 4 STL 0.7 BLK 0 TO 3 PF 3 AST/TO 1.3 PER 9.17.

The Los Angeles Lakers are well rested after their series against the Portland Trail Blazers. In that series, the team recalibrated to their championship form winning four-straight matches against their opponents. LeBron James proved that he can still carry the team as always and will be a triple-double threat in every match. Anthony Davis has been dominating against the big frontcourt of the Blazers and having him adjust and do the same production against the Rockets will be a big game-changer. Rajon Rondo looks to play in Game 1 but it would take time before fans can get to see “Playoff Rondo” once again.

Tweets by Lakers

Players to watch: A. Davis PF GP 5 GS 5 MIN 32.6 PTS 29.8 OR 3 DR 6.4 REB 9.4 AST 4.2 STL 1.4 BLK 1.6 TO 1.2 PF 1.8 AST/TO 3.5 PER 37.33

L. James SF GP 5 GS 5 MIN 32.8 PTS 27.4 OR 0.8 DR 9.4 REB 10.2 AST 10.2 STL 1.2 BLK 0.4 TO 5 PF 1.6 AST/TO 2 PER 32.7

K. Caldwell-Pope SG GP 5 GS 5 MIN 26.2 PTS 11.2 OR 0.2 DR 1.2 REB 1.4 AST 1.6 STL 1.2 BLK 0 TO 0.8 PF 1 AST/TO 2 PER 10.65.

Houston Rockets

Houston are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Houston’s last 14 games.
Houston are 15-4 SU in their last 19 games against LA Lakers.
Rockets are 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games on the road.
Houston are 10-2 SU in their last 12 games when playing on the road against LA Lakers.
The total has gone UNDER in 7 of Houston’s last 10 games this season.
Houston are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games against an opponent in the Western Conference conference.
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Houston’s last 9 games against an opponent in the Pacific Division division.

Los Angeles Lakers

LA Lakers are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games.
LA Lakers are 4-1 SU in their last 5 games.
The total has gone OVER in 11 of LA Lakers’ last 16 games against Houston.
LA Lakers are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 games at home.
LA Lakers are 2-10 SU in their last 12 games when playing at home against Houston.
Lakers are 5-2 SU in their last 7 games this season.
LA Lakers are 3-6 ATS in their last 9 games against an opponent in the Western Conference conference.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of LA Lakers’ last 6 games against an opponent in the Southwest Division division.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of LA Lakers’ last 7 games played on a Friday.

Injuries

Houston Rockets

Thabo Sefolosha SF Personal is out for season

Los Angeles Lakers

Rajon Rondo PG Back is “?” Friday vs Houston
Dion Waiters SG Migraine is “?” Friday vs Houston

The Los Angeles Lakers have all the advantages heading to this matchup and they are seen by Best Sportsbook to take this game with a wide margin. The Rockets don’t have much to match up against Anthony Davis and fatigue will be a huge factor as the series goes deeper. Rockets have an advantage with both former MVPs at the backcourt but Westbrook has yet to show up in this year’s playoffs.

Moneyline: The ML given to the Lakers as the team with the advantage at -290 while the Rockets are at +245.

ATS: It is seven points across the spread for this match with the Lakers taking the -7 while the Rockets are on the far end with +7.

TOTALs: Both teams are expected to dance at a total of 226.5 with the Lakers going under and the Rockets are over.

Score Prediction: 114 – 105 Lakers