Eric Miller
The Los Angeles Lakers have been waiting around for days as the Houston Rockets went the distance against the Oklahoma City Thunder to punch their ticket into the Western Conference Semifinals. It took 17 made 3-point shots to get the job done, and that’s something the Lakers will have to contend with throughout this series if it’s to advance to the conference finals. Easier said than done however with James Harden and company taking two of the three regular season meetings including the most recent in the bubble during the seeding games. It will be the Rockets perimeter game matched up against the Lakers advantage in the paint. Something Houston was able to overcome and will likely do so once again if they can make it rain from the “Land of Three” once again.
This series will take place at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL. Tip-off is scheduled for Friday, September 4, 2020 and go to Wednesday, September 16 should a seventh game be needed to decide the outcome. All games will be aired live on TNT, ESPN and ABC.
NBA Series Prices
Houston Rockets +646
Los Angeles Lakers -880
Rockets vs Lakers Series Schedule
Game 1: Fri, Sept. 4, Houston at Los Angeles, 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
Game 2: Sun, Sept. 6, Houston at Los Angeles, 8:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Game 3: Tue, Sept. 8, Los Angeles at Houston, 9 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 4: Thur, Sept. 10, Los Angeles at Houston, 9 p.m. ET, TNT
Game 5: Sat, Sept. 12, Houston at Los Angeles, TBD, ESPN
Game 6: Mon, Sept. 14, Los Angeles at Houston, TBD, TNT
Game 7: Wed, Sept. 16, Houston at Los Angeles, TBD, TNT
Futures Odds Analysis
Houston hit the board as +900 choices to win the NBA title back in June. Though they got as low as 7-1 at one point, they’re back up to 11-1 after finally disposing of the pesky Thunder. Though it ultimately came out the victor in that series, it only managed to cover the NBA odds three times with the under cashing in for total bettors four times. The Lakers sit only behind the Clippers as favorites to win the NBA title. LA opened up as +450 choices to win it all, but are now in the +260 range after taking care of business against the injury riddled Trail Blazers. LA covered three of those five matchups and scored 131+ points in the final two games to move the O/U to 2-3 in the postseason.
Head-To-Head Results
These teams first squared off all the way back on January 18 in Houston where the Lakers scored the 124-115 win as 3.5-point road underdogs. LeBron James led the way with 31 points, while Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope combined for 63 points to make up for the absence of Anthony Davis. LA holding Houston to a 12-of-37 showing from deep ultimately paved the way to victory. The defense didn’t have nearly the same type of success in the other two matchups that were both won by the Rockets. Houston sunk 19-of-42 3-balls in their 121-111 outright win in the Staples Center, and then knocked down 21 more 3-point shots in the 113-97 triumph in the bubble; a game LBJ sat out. Regardless, Los Angeles must find a way to limit Houston from deep if it’s to advance as the No. 1 seed!
Rockets Player to Watch
Eric Gordon: With Russell Westbrook being forced to miss the first four games against Oklahoma City, it was Gordon that stepped up and took his game to the next level. We all know that Russ and Harden are going to get theirs. The Lakers know it to. Someone else will need to step up however, and that person is going to need to be Gordon who has proven to be an integral piece to the Rockets barrage from deep all season long. Though his 31.7 percent success rate is well off his career shooting clip, the Rockets likely don’t advance past the Thunder if not for his 5-of-9 showing in Game 7. If it isn’t Gordon that rises to the occasion, it needs to be Danny Green, Robert Covington or Daniel House Jr. that lends the helping hand.
Lakers Player to Watch
Pope/Kuzma: LA’s shooting woes in the bubble have been well documented. And it’s not just the backups that’ve struggled to convert from the field. LBJ has put forth some stinkers as well. Just like the Rockets, the Lakers are going to need someone other than James or Anthony Davis to contribute in a big way considering points are likely to come in bunches over the course of this series. Caldwell-Pope has taken advantage of his opportunity in Orlando to rate out as the team’s third highest scorer in the playoffs (11.2 PPG). That was Kuzma’s role in the regular season, but the former Utah Ute has been unable to discover his shooting touch. He went for 14 points in Game 1 and 18 in Game 4 against the Blazers, but only went for 22 combined in the other three. LA needs more consistent scoring from him if LA is to shoot its way into the next round.
NBA Odds Pick
I haven’t been a believer in the Lakers all season. It’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is! I don’t think they win this series and it wouldn’t shock me in the least if the Rockets put it on ice in fewer than seven games. LA’s role players just aren’t fitting the bill. LBJ and “The Brow” aren’t going to lead this team to a series win themselves even though LA’s extreme size advantage is likely going to destroy Houston on the glass and score at will in the paint. The Rockets might only convert from deep at less than a 35 percent clip (No. 24), but that doesn’t stop them from bombarding the opposition every chance they get. Its volume and efficiency from long range is second to none! LA simply can’t match them from deep (No. 21), and its perimeter defense has been shoddy since the restart. LA lucked out with Damian Lillard going down last round. They won’t be as fortunate this time around. Look for their poor overall shooting to finally get the best of them against a Rockets team readily able to small ball them to death.
Prediction: Rockets in 6
