- The Houston Rockets are currently up 1-0 in the series.
- The Los Angeles Lakers are still -255 favorites to win the series against the Rockets.
- The Lakers are also -240 favorites to win Game 2.
ORLANDO - The Houston Rockets delivered a gut punch to the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1 of this series.
The Lakers, presumptive favorites to win the NBA Championship for most of the season, are now down 0-1 to the Rockets.
Rockets take Game 1 vs. the Lakers
Harden: 36 Pts, 5 Ast pic.twitter.com/oJwmfWokxX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 5, 2020
This has put them, for the first time in a while, as something other than the favorites to win the NBA Finals. The title currently belongs to the Los Angeles Clippers.
However, Game 2 on Sunday night could determine the course of this series.
The Rockets going up 2-0 would be a big deal, and the series being evened at 1-1 would also seriously influence the odds.
Let’s take a look at the series odds, and then some Game 2 specific odds.
Rockets vs. Lakers Odds To Win Series
- Houston Rockets +215
- Los Angeles Lakers -255
The Lakers are a bit less favored than they were a few days ago, but they are still fairly significant favorites.
Their odds for each game tend to not differ too much from their odds to win the series, although the game odds are slightly shorter.
For example, here are the NBA odds on Game 2:
Rockets vs. Lakers Odds To Win Game 2
- Houston Rockets +200
- Los Angeles Lakers -240
As is evident from an examination of these two lines, the Lakers are more favored to win the series itself than they are the individual games that constitute it.
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This perhaps reflects an enduring belief among the public in the quality of Lebron James, and his ability to pull series wins from nowhere (see: 2016 Finals).
The spread is fairly interesting in this matchup on the major online sportsbooks.
Rockets vs. Lakers Spread Odds
- Houston Rockets +5.5
- Los Angeles Lakers -5.5
The Rockets are on a bit of a hot streak as the underdog against the spread. In their last eight games as the dog, they are 6-2 ATS.
They’ve met the Lakers four times already - once in Game 1, once in the bubble, and twice during the regular season.
They have actually won three of those four matchups. The one Laker victory came on January 18th, by nine points.
When talking about the Rockets, it’s hard to ignore the perception of the team as a bit of an offensive juggernaut, a three-jacking monstrosity.
This perception could have an effect on the Over/Under line in this matchup - The Rockets were sixth in ORtg and the Lakers were 11th in the regular season.
Rockets vs. Lakers Over/Under Odds
- OVER 224 -110
- UNDER 224 -110
The Rockets are riding a bit of an Under streak right now - the Under has hit in their last four games.
In addition, when the Rockets are playing on 1 day of rest, the Under has hit in 11 of their last 13 games.
There are a lot of aspects of this matchup to consider when making wagers, from the existence of Lebron James to James Harden’s playoff woes to the overall composition of the two teams.
NBA bettors have their work cut out for them with this one!
Maxwell joined the USAOnlineSportsbooks team in 2019. He focuses on creating sports betting content that informs and educates. He focuses on the NBA, the NFL, College Football and Basketball, and whatever else comes across his desk.
