Who’s Playing
Houston @ Los Angeles
Current Records: Houston 10-33; Los Angeles 19-24
What to Know
The Houston Rockets need to shore up a defense that is allowing 116.98 points per game before their contest Monday. They and the Los Angeles Lakers will face off at 10:30 p.m. ET Jan. 16 at Crypto.com Arena without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. If the matchup is anything like Houston’s 139-130 win from their previous meeting in March of last year, the scorekeeper will be kept real busy.
The Rockets’ and the Los Angeles Clippers’ contest on Sunday was up for grabs at halftime, but Houston was thoroughly outmatched 59-37 in the second half. Houston’s bruising 121-100 defeat to the Clippers might stick with them for a while. Houston’s loss shouldn’t obscure the performances of small forward Kenyon Martin Jr., who had 22 points along with nine rebounds, and small forward Eric Gordon, who had 24 points. Martin Jr.’s performance made up for a slower game against the Sacramento Kings this past Friday.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles was just a bucket short of a victory on Sunday and fell 113-112 to the Philadelphia 76ers. Small forward LeBron James put forth a good effort for the losing side as he almost dropped a triple-double on 35 points, ten assists, and eight boards.
Houston is expected to lose this next one by 6.5. Now might not be the best time to take the Rockets against the spread since they’ve let down bettors for the past six consecutive games.
These two teams will surely be fighting tooth and nail to get back into the win column after losses this week. Check back to see which squad is able to work their way into the win column.
How To Watch
When: Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET
Monday at 10:30 p.m. ET Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California TV: NBATV
NBATV Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.) Follow: CBS Sports App
CBS Sports App Ticket Cost: $25.00
Odds
The Lakers are a solid 6.5-point favorite against the Rockets, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 6.5-point spread, and stayed right there.
Series History
Houston have won 16 out of their last 30 games against Los Angeles.