The Lakers and Rockets will meet in one of the most fascinating first-round matchups on the NBA playoff board, but oddsmakers are not treating it like a coin flip.
Despite Los Angeles owning the No. 4 seed and home court advantage, Houston has opened as the betting favorite for both Game 1 and the series, with the Rockets laying around five points in Saturday’s opener and drawing strong respect in the early series market.
That says plenty about where these two teams stand entering the postseason.
The Lakers finished fourth in the West at 53-29, one game ahead of the 52-30 Rockets, yet the market is clearly giving Houston the edge because of health and depth concerns surrounding Los Angeles.
It’s unclear if NBA fans are going to see Luka Doncic at all in this series.
The Slovenian star is currently sidelined with a left hamstring injury, and Lakers head coach J.J. Redick said Tuesday that he remains out indefinitely.
Austin Reaves is on the mend with a Grade 2 oblique strain and is staring at a recovery window of two to four more weeks.
Unless they get a quick return from Doncic, that leaves LeBron James and Co. as the Lakers’ only shot in the series.
I’m not buying it.
In the first season with Kevin Durant in tow, the Rockets have had a strange season, but they’ve looked solid down the stretch, winning nine of their last 10 games.
Betting on the NBA?
While Houston likely won’t be making a deep postseason run, an appearance in the semifinal round appears to be inevitable given the Lakers’ injury issues.
The Play: Rockets to win series in five or fewer games (+110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.
