Lakers vs Rockets: How to Watch, Betting Odds as LA’s Road Trip Resumes vs Rockets

Can LA finally win a road game this year?

Tonight, your 3-4 Los Angeles Lakers embark on the third contest of their ongoing four-game road trip with a matchup against the Houston Rockets on their home floor, the Toyota Center. Houston has been surprisingly frisky this season, thanks to an influx of veteran professionalism in the form of free agent signings Fred VanVleet, Jeff Green, and Reggie Bullock. 

Ex-Memphis Grizzlies wannabe-3-and-D irritant Dillon Brooks also joined the club as a free agent and disgraced ex-Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka signed on to lead Houston this season. I wouldn't really call either of those guys "professional," though, so it's debatable just how positive of an impact they'll have on all these young Rockets lottery picks. 

Let's take a gander at some quick odds and lines ahead of the matchup, all via our pals at The Action Network.

The Game Spread

Los Angeles is expected to win by a slim margin, with the line set at -3.5 in its favor. I think, despite LA missing at least two rotation players in power forward Jarred Vanderbilt and point guard Gabe Vincent tonight (and quite possibly also being without centers Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes), the Lakers will be powered to a win by LeBron James' abject disdain for Dillon Brooks.

LeBron James' Scoring Total

The over/under on this mark is set at 25.5. With so many Lakers allies on the shelf, plus the aforementioned Dillon Brooks disdain, I'm pretty sure the 19-time All-Star is going to smash this line.

Jabari Smith's Double-Double Odds

The second-year power forward out of Auburn is averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 boards a game this season. He's only notched one double-double in six games this year, a 21-point, 11-rebound performance against the Sacramento Kings in an 18-point win. His odds of notching a double-double against Los Angeles are pegged at +311, and recent history obviously creates more reason for pessimism, but with so many LA bigs absent, I think he'll clean up oodles of second-chance points.

The bout tips off tonight at 5 p.m. PT, and will be viewable locally on Spectrum SportsNet and Spectrum SportsNet+.

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