The Los Angeles Lakers defied the odds to beat the Houston Rockets three times in this opening round series. After escaping the sweep, can Houston do the same and rally back from down 0-3?
Game 5 of this Round 1 Western Conference matchup tips off in La-La Land Wednesday and my same-game parlay isn’t counting out the Rockets just yet — even if LeBron James lights up the scoreboard.
Here are my best NBA picks and predictions for Rockets vs. Lakers on April 29.
Our best Rockets vs Lakers SGP for Game 5
SGP leg #1: Rockets +4.5
The Houston Rockets are 4.5-point road pups returning to L.A. for Game 5. While the Los Angeles Lakers have home-court advantage and potentially have Austin Reaves back in action, the Rockets' defense has looked great over the past six quarters.
The pressure is mounting for the Lakers, who watched their role players come back to earth in Game 4. Houston doesn’t go down without a fight on Wednesday.
SGP leg #2: LeBron James Over 23.5 points
LeBron James had a quiet night offensively while also leaving this L.A. offense disjointed, coughing up eight turnovers. James looks to get going early and often in Game 5, and even with Reaves’ possible return, LeBron shoulders the scoring load.
Player projections sit as high as 27+ points from him in Game 5 after scoring 57 combined points in Games 2 and 3. This total of 23.5 O/U is the lowest bar he’s drawn since losing Luka Doncic and Reaves.
SGP leg #3: Alperen Sengun Over 22.5 points
Leading the charge for the Rockets is big man Alperen Sengun. He scored 19 points in Game 4, but with L.A. cleaning up the turnovers and slowing things down, Game 5 is more of a half-court battle, which fits Sengun's style.
He goes after a softer interior for Los Angeles, and his forecast for Game 5 sits as high as 24.5 points. He’s been efficient the past two games, shooting 54% from the field.
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Get Jason Logan's full breakdown of this game, including his best bet, plus the latest NBA odds, injuries, and betting trends, in his Rockets vs Lakers predictions for Game 5.
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