The Los Angeles Lakers (16-18) travel to Houston to battle the Rockets (10-24) at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 P.M. EST.
The Lakers are in the midst of a brutal five-game losing streak that has seen them drop games to opponents with under .500 records, such as the Timberwolves and Spurs. They were last defeated on Christmas Day by the Brooklyn Nets by a final score of 122-115.
Things have not been great in Houston either. The Rockets have dropped four games in a row and are just 2-8 over the course of their past ten games. This is the second of a back-to-back for Houston, as they lost to Charlotte yesterday 123-99.
These two laboring squads will try and turn things around on Tuesday night.
Lakers at Rockets Betting Analysis
On the Los Angeles Lakers side
One would believe that this is the perfect opponent for the Lakers to snap their losing streak against. However, the same was said about the San Antonio Spurs last week before San Antonio scored 138 points and defeated the Lakers in LA. But with the Rockets truly going through it, Los Angeles should be able to get back in the win column.
Saturday was more of the same for the Lakers. LeBron James was excellent with 39 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. But the fans in LA have begun to grow tired of watching Russell Westbrook.
Once again, Westbrook had a solid game from a statistical perspective. The guard earned his triple-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. And Westbrook, who is among the league leaders in turning the ball over, limited his turnovers to just 3 in the game.
But Westbrook shot an abysmal 4-20 from the field, went 0-3 from beyond the arc, and passed up a wide-open LeBron James near the end of the game in favor of a failed dunk attempt. To make matters worse, Westbrook stated that he felt fans were only upset because he was not averaging enough points, rebounds, and assists. In reality, it is the lack of winning that has fans fed up.
There is a realistic chance that Los Angeles places Westbrook on the trade block in the near future if things persist as they are. The Lakers are in eighth place in the Western Conference heading into Tuesday’s game.
On the Houston Rockets side
The Rockets started off the year in a dreadful fashion. However, they bounced back with a winning streak. But they are back to losing over the past few weeks and once again find themselves at the bottom of the Western Conference.
The Rockets were blown out by the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. Christian Wood scored 16 and grabbed nine rebounds, while Trevelin Queen added 17 points and Eric Gordon contributed 16.
But Houston displayed their inexperience with a jaw-dropping amount of turnovers. The Rockets totaled 21 turnovers for the game while posting just 20 assists. If those kinds of numbers continue, Houston will be well on their way to having the worst record in the NBA.
It should be noted that four players were in health and safety protocols in this game for Houston. Nonetheless, the Rockets are hopeful for a far more efficient performance on Tuesday as they host the Lakers.
Lakers at Rockets Prediction
The majority of top sportsbooks have the Lakers favored to win this game.
As bad as Los Angeles has been as of late, the Rockets’ disastrous play has made the Lakers’ recent performance look passable. Expect the Lakers to snap their five-game skid and emerge victorious on Tuesday night.
Take the Los Angeles Lakers -5.5 with your betting selection.
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