The NBA has a huge nine-game slate on tap for this Wednesday night, but it saves one of the best matchups for last. The ESPN doubleheader closes out with the Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Houston Rockets at 9:30 p.m. ET at the Toyota Center. Both teams are in the middle of a push for the playoffs in the crowded Western Conference, and it should be a playoff atmosphere in Houston on Wednesday. Let’s take a look at both sides of this contest and pick out a few juicy player prop bets that make sense to consider putting on your betting card for this Lakers-Rockets matchup to close out the evening.
In the bigger picture, the Rockets are currently 1.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, with a game total of 222.5 points. The two teams met on Monday in the first game of this two-game set, with the Lakers pulling out a 100-92 road win.
The Lakers come into this rematch riding a six-game winning streak. They have improved to 43-25, with a 1.5 game lead on the Rockets in the race for the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference. While it looks like the Spurs and Thunder will finish 1-2 in the Conference, seeds No. 3 through No. 7 are separated by less than five games. The Rockets are 23-9 at home and will be looking to bounce back after losing Monday and slipping to 4-5 in their last nine.
On the injury report, no players are questionable, and only long-term absences like Steven Adams, Fred VanVleet and Maxi Kleber are out. We should get a fairly healthy rotation from each team with plenty of intensity and a great atmosphere. Who is ready to step up? Let’s take a look at some player props that are good spots to attack in this Lakers-Rockets grudge match.
Lakers at Rockets Best Prop Bets
Luka Doncic o40.5 Points + Assists (-107)
Luka is averaging 41.4 combined points and assists on the season and had 40 points and assists on Monday, even though he only handed out four assists, well below his season average of 8.5 assists per game.
Doncic has gone over this prop line in four of his last six games, finishing with 39 against the Knicks and 40 against the Rockets in the two games he came up just short. He went well over this mark with 60 points and assists in his huge 51-point game against the Bulls.
He has been playing huge minutes and getting heavy usage almost every game for the Lakers, and even in a tough matchup against the Rockets, he has a good chance to get over this prop line if he can get back to his typical assist production on Wednesday. While the over/under on this game is low, Doncic should still get enough usage and opportunity to put this high prop line in reach, as he looks to help the Lakers sweep the two-game set.
I expect the Rockets to come out hard and fast right away to avoid that sweep, and if the Lakers play from behind, Doncic could get even more opportunities to pour in points and dish out dimes on Wednesday.
Amen Thompson o17.5 Points (-117)
While you may have heard that Kevin Durant is the Rockets’ offense (per Kevin Durant), Thompson has been a solid producer for the Rockets lately as well. The 23-year-old has gotten past some lingering knee issues and returned to his typical extremely heavy workload.
He has averaged 37.7 minutes per game over his last nine contests, scoring 21.1 points per game and going over this prop in eight of those nine contests. He had 19 points on Monday against the Lakers and 26 points against them when he faced them on Christmas Day earlier this season.
Thompson will probably do most of the work trying to slow down Luka, but he should also find enough space to keep his own offense rolling. Especially if the Lakers once again focus on limiting Durant, Thompson may need to step up and carry the offense even more.
Tari Eason u9.5 Points (-110)
Eason has had a slow start to the month of March, coming in under this prop line in eight straight games. He played 33 minutes on Monday but managed just 2-of-11 shooting from the field, including 0-for-3 from long range. He actually has gone just 1-for-25 from long distance this month and is shooting just 31.9% from the field.
Eason is averaging 6.3 points in 26.1 minutes per game over his last eight contests and hasn’t scored more than 11 points since before the All-Star break. With the rest of the Rockets healthy, he continues to start, but he hasn’t had as much to contribute to the team’s offense overall.
The Rockets may need to adjust their rotation if Eason doesn’t snap out of his shooting slump soon, but until he does, the under on this points prop seems like a solid play.
Bonus Parlay Pick: Austin Reaves o19.5 Points (-117)
If you’re building an SGP (Same Game Parlay) from the Wednesday night finale, one option to boost the odds even higher is by backing Reaves to go over this prop line. Adding the fourth player prop into the mix boosts the SGP all the way up to +950 for these four Lakers-Rockets bets.
Reaves only had 15 points on Monday despite playing 40 minutes. He went 0-for-8 from long range after hitting at least three three-pointers in four straight games. While the Rockets do have a strong defense against threes, Reaves will likely shoot the ball a little better on Wednesday. He had over 20 points in four straight games after returning to his full workload. In his 14 games since returning to the starting lineup, he’s averaging 20.6 points and he should bounce back with a stronger showing on Wednesday in the rematch.
