The Los Angeles Lakers have secured the top seed in the NBA’s Western Conference as the eight-game continuation of the 2019-20 regular season plays out over the next few days. Their next opponent is the Houston Rockets, who are currently in sixth place in the West standings — but just a half-game out of fourth place, as Utah, Oklahoma City and Houston are all within a half-game of one another. Houston started “bubble” play with wins over Dallas (in overtime) and Milwaukee but lost to Portland by eight on Tuesday. The Lakers resumed play with a two-point win over the Clippers before losing by 15 to Toronto on Saturday. They bounced back on Monday with a win over Utah, but yesterday they took a 19-point beating at the hands of Oklahoma City.
Will the Lakers have enough motivation given that they have clinched the top seed? Check out our NBA betting preview as you plan today’s basketball betting.
NBA Betting: L.A. Lakers vs Houston Rockets (August 6)
When: Thursday, August 6, 2020, 9:00 pm ET
Where: ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, Orlando
TV: ESPN
Radio: ESPNLA 710 AM Los Angeles / KBME 790 AM Houston
Live Stream: fuboTV
NBA Odds: Houston -3½ / 225½
Why should you Bet on Houston?
The Rockets’ loss to Portland was a back-and-forth affair the whole way. Portland led by five after the first quarter, and after that, no quarter was decided by more than two points, as two offensive powerhouses struggled to make baskets. It may be that the fatigue associated with life in the “bubble” was catching up to them a bit.
James Harden led Houston with 23 points. Jeff Green (22), Danuel House (17) and Russell Westbrook (15) were the other Rockets with at least 10 points. Westbrook and Harden each had nine assists to pace the team, and P.J. Tucker and Robert Covington led the team with eight boards apiece. The team had a short rotation, with just eight players making it onto the floor. If you like Houston against the Lakers, you think that the motivation of playoff seeding will give Houston more hunger than the Lakers — and if you saw how the Thunder undressed the Lakers, you understand that point of view.
Why should you put your Money on the Lakers?
Oklahoma City was all over the Lakers from the opening tip, running out to a 26-18 lead after one quarter and never looking back. The Lakers closed the gap to 52-45 at the break but then only scored 41 points in the second half, while the Thunder had 53. The Thunder, of course, have a lot more to play for in terms of playoff seeding, while the Lakers had already clinched the top seed and are now awaiting the bottom of the bracket to sort itself out. None of the 8-13 seeds can pass Dallas for the seventh slot, but Dallas could still move up, and the 8-13 seeds are fighting for that last playoff spot.
In that loss to Oklahoma City, LeBron James had a quiet double-double with 19 points and 11 boards in just 30 minutes. Dion Waiters (14) and Kyle Kuzma (10) were the other Lakers with double figures in scoring. James also lead the team in rebounds, with Anthony Davis (8) and JaVale McGee (6) also helping with the cause to some degree. It will be interesting to see if the Lakers use their last four “bubble” games before the playoffs to rest starters and just play out the string — and how their decision will affect their play once the playoffs begin.
Final Score and Prediction
I see the Rockets needing this win a lot more than the Lakers do, so I don’t see LeBron & Company getting up for this one. The fact that Rajon Rondo (thumb) continues to rehab could cause issues for the Lakers when they need strong play at the point.
Prediction
I see the Rockets rolling, 124-116 | Check the Odds
