Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Lakers improved to 6-1 straight up and 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games with a win and cover against the Houston Rockets in Game 3. The Lakers can take a stranglehold over their best-of-seven series against the Rockets with another win on Thursday night in Game 4.
Los Angeles is a five-point favorite on the NBA odds in Orlando at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. The Rockets failed to cover the spread as 5.5-point underdogs in Game 2 and as four-point underdogs in Game 3.
Lakers vs Rockets | OddsShark Matchup Report
LeBron James led the team in scoring in Game 3 with 36 points, seven rebounds and five assists in Los Angeles’ 112-102 win. Anthony Davis chipped in with 26 points and 15 rebounds as well. But it was Rajon Rondo that was the surprising star of the night, coming off of the bench to deliver 30 strong minutes with 21 points and nine assists.
The Lakers have also been playing excellent team defense in this series to hold the high-powered Rockets to just 107.7 points per game, a full 10 points lower than their regular season average.
The Lakers are now 4-3 SU and ATS over their last seven games against the Rockets per the OddsShark NBA Database.
Robert Covington was injured in a collision with Anthony Davis late in Game 3, but he passed concussion protocol and is expected to play on Thursday. Which is great news for the Rockets as sixth man Danuel House Jr. is not expected to play for the second straight game on Thursday due to personal reasons.
House Jr.’s presence was missed in Game 3; the Rockets got 30 points from Russell Westbrook and 33 points from James Harden but weren’t able to get much going elsewhere in the lineup.
Thursday night’s total is set at 220 points at sports betting sites. The UNDER is 5-1 in Houston’s last six games and 2-1 so far in this series.
Each of the last two games have been close in the fourth quarter, but the Lakers have made more stops and shots down the stretch to pull away with big wins to take the lead in this series. This still feels like it could be a long series, but Los Angeles could put Houston on the brink with another win on Thursday.
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