Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/31/2021

Game Time: 10:30 pm ET, Sunday, October 31, 2021

Venue:  STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, CA

Where to Watch:  Sportsnet LA

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Rockets +12, Lakers -12; Over/Under:  223.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Rockets +12.5, Lakers -12.5; Over/Under:  224 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Rockets NL, Lakers NL; Over/Under:  NL points

 

Houston Rockets:  1-4 (3rd place, Southwest Division)

Los Angeles Lakers:  3-3 (3rd place, Pacific Division)

 

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Houston Rockets:  1-4 last 5

Los Angeles Lakers:  1-4 last 5

 

 

 

The Rockets are coming into this contest with a 1-4 record overall to start their season off and they are 0-2 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. The Rockets got their first and only win of the new regular season against the OKC Thunder but have lost their last 3 games straight coming into this one. Their losses came against the Boston Celtics, the Dallas Mavericks, and against the Utah Jazz in their last game. They lost that game against the Jazz 122-91 in a game that they went down a lot in the first quarter and never recovered as they were dominated by the Jazz the entire game. Christian Wood led the team in points in that game with 16 while Alperen Sengun was next on the team off the bench with 14 points. They did not have a very strong offensive showing in that game though. Jalen Green along with bench players Eric Gordon and Usman Garuba all led the team in assists in that game with 3 each while Wood led the team in rebounds with 7. Their offense is averaging 104.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 112 PPG against them. The Rockets opened their last game as a 9 point underdog at home with that line closing around the same number while the point total opened at 223.5 and closed around the same number. They did not cover the spread in that game losing it by 31 points while the game stayed under the total with 213 total points.

 

 

The Lakers are coming into this game with a 3-3 record overall and they are 2-2 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. The Lakers have been playing better recently after a rough start to their season and have won 3 of their last 4 games coming into this one. They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last game 113-101 on Friday night in a game that they trailed in the first quarter but then made a comeback in the second quarter taking the lead after halftime and never giving it back. LeBron James led the team in points in that game with 26 while Carmelo Anthony was next on the team with 24 points off the bench. James also led the team in assists in that game with 8 while Anthony Davis led the team in rebounds with 9. Their offense is averaging 115.5 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 116.5 PPG against them. The Lakers opened as an 8.5 point favorite in their last game with that line closing around the same number while the point total opened at 219.5 and closed around 221.5 points. They covered the spread in that game winning it by 12 points while the game stayed under the total with 214 total points.

 

 

The Lakers are coming into this game as a 12 point favorite with the current betting odds according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Rockets have not been good to start their season losing a few games by over 20 points now and it is because they are just a bad team. The Lakers have struggled a bit in their first few games to start the season and they will be looking to get a big win here to show that the problems are being ironed out. The best bet to place in this game is on the Lakers to cover the spread as they are riddled with way more talent on their side than the Rockets have.

 

Rockets Lakers Prediction:  Our NBA Pick for Sunday, October 31, 2021 (10:30 pm ET start time) is Lakers 124 Rockets 101.

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Houston Rockets: 38-28 ATS as an underdog of 10 or more points. 1046-1032 ATS in all games. 428-387 ATS as an underdog. 338-290 ATS as a road underdog. 539-485 ATS in road games.

Los Angeles Lakers: 136-176 ATS as a favorite of 10 or more points. 1040-1140 ATS in all games. 646-721 ATS as a favorite. 400-452 ATS as a home favorite. 507-569 ATS in home games.

 

 

Houston Rockets:  K. Porter Jr. (SG) Ques Mon - Ankle injury. G. Mathews (SG) Out indefinitely - Personal. D. House Jr. (SF) Ques Mon - Foot injury. J. Wall (PG) Out indefinitely - Holdout.

Los Angeles Lakers:  W. Ellington (SG) Ques Sun - Hamstring injury. R. Rondo (PG) Ques Sun - Ankle injury. T. Horton-Tucker (SG) Out indefinitely - Thumb injury. K. Nunn (PG) Out indefinitely - Ankle injury. T. Ariza (SF) Early Dec - Ankle injury.

 

 

 

"He's a great defender, and this was like my fifth game so, yes, I was a little hesitant." - Alperen Sengun on covering Rudy Gobert in their loss to the Jazz.

 

 

"He's a sniper. One of those guys that doesn't need much air space to get it off because it's a quick trigger. He creates so much space for Russ and myself and A.D. to work our pick-and-roll magic." - LeBron James on Carmelo Anthony after their win against the Cavs.

 

 

 

PG     Kevin Porter Jr.

SG     Jalen Green

SF     Jae'Sean Tate

PF     Daniel Theis

C     Christian Wood

 

PG     Russell Westbrook

SG     Malik Monk

SF     Kent Bazemore

PF     LeBron James

C     Anthony Davis

 

 

PPG: C. Wood (19.8)

APG: K. Porter Jr. (5.2)

Reb/G: C. Wood (11.2)

 

PPG: A. Davis (26.2)

APG: R. Westbrook (8.7)

Reb/G: A. Davis (11.2)

 

Coaches:

Houston Rockets: Stephen Silas (2nd season)

Los Angeles Lakers: Frank Vogel (3rd season)