Lakers at Rockets, Nov. 8: Prediction, point spread, odds, best bet

In game five of a season-long homestand of seven games, the Houston Rockets host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. If you’re looking to do some last-minute betting research, you’re in luck! We’ve got the latest point spread, money line odds and over/under number, as well as the information you’ll need to make the smartest bet.

The game starts at 7 p.m. Central from Toyota Center and can be seen on the Space City Home Network and NBA League Pass.

Excluding a tiny sample of two games to start the 2021-22 season, the Rockets (3-3) are currently at .500 or better for the first time since being 11-11 very early in the 2020-21 season.

Their three-game winning streak, however, has had good scheduling fortune in the form of the lowly Charlotte Hornets and two games versus a Sacramento team missing All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox.

So, how real is Houston’s growth? Wednesday’s matchup versus LeBron James and the star-studded Los Angeles Lakers could put that to the test in front of a raucous home crowd at Toyota Center. As he’s done in the past for Memphis, Dillon Brooks appears quite happy to accept the assignment of defending James for the Rockets.

Some good news for the Rockets is that versatile forward Tari Eason, who earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors as a rookie, appears set to make his 2023-24 debut after missing the first six regular-season games with a stress reaction in his lower left leg.

Here’s a look at Wednesday’s lines:

• Point spread: Lakers -2.5
• Money line: Lakers -145 / Rockets +120
• Over-under: 220.5

Lakers at Rockets injury/status report:

Houston’s Nov. 8 injury report lists Amen Thompson (right ankle sprain), and Victor Oladipo (left patellar tendon repair) as out, while Tari Eason (left lower leg stress reaction) is probable.

Cam Whitmore, Jermaine Samuels Jr., and Nate Hinton are away from the Rockets and currently playing with Houston’s NBA G League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) Vipers.

The Lakers will be without Jalen Hood-Schifino (right patella contusion), Jarred Vanderbilt (left heel bursitis), and Gabe Vincent (left knee effusion) on Wednesday night. Anthony Davis (left adductor/hip spasm) and Jaxson Hayes (left ankle sprain) are each questionable, while Rui Hachimura (concussion protocol) is probable.

Advice and prediction

Houston ranks No. 6 in the NBA in net rating over its past five games, and the Rockets have cleared the spread number in all three games of their current winning streak. That includes two straight-up wins, as an underdog, versus Domantas Sabonis and Sacramento.

We’ll take the Rockets to keep it rolling at home, particularly when considering the uncertain status of Davis.

Prediction: Rockets 112, Lakers 108

Get more betting analysis and predictions at Sportsbook Wire.