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NBA Playoff Odds: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets Game 3

Written by Jimmy Boyd

lakers-rockets-gm-3-5709 All tied up at one game a piece, the Lakers vs. Rockets Western Conference Playoff Series shifts to Houston for Game 3 Friday, May 8th at 9:30 pm EST on ESPN. The Rockets were able to steal home court away from the top seed Lakers, and now they have a chance to take a 2-1 series lead. NBA odds makers basically see Game 3 as anyone’s game, listing the Los Angeles Lakers as just a 1-point favorite with the total set at 195.

After coming out flat in Game 1, which resulted in a 92-100 home loss, Los Angeles came out with their guns blazing in Game 2, getting out to a double digit first quarter lead behind red hot shooting by Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. The Rockets showed their resiliency by clawing their way back to take the lead, but when the smoke cleared, the Lakers had evened the series with a 111-98 win. Kobe Bryant was next to unstoppable, scoring 40 points on 16 of 27 shooting and Pau Gasol redeemed himself with an efficient 22-point effort on 9 of 13 shooting. The Lakers were able to control the tempo, and they did a much better job defensively on Yao Ming, who battled foul trouble and finished with only 12 points. It comes as no surprise that odds makers have favored the Lakers on the road in Game 3 as the Lakers won by 5 and 6 points respectively in two regular season meetings in Houston. Plus, Los Angeles was the best road team in the NBA during the regular season with a 29-12 record. The big key for the Lakers is going to be to push the tempo. They are not solid enough defensively to beat the Rockets in a half court game as we saw in Game 1. History tells us that if LA breaks the century mark, they are tough to beat. If you think Los Angeles can regain its home court edge with a Game 3 win, bet the Lakers at -1 at Sportsbook.com.

It wasn’t like Houston played badly in Game 2, the Lakers just played really well. You have to admire the way the Rockets battled back after facing an early 15-point deficit as it would have been easy to have just folded after already stealing Game 1. The Rockets return home for Game 3 where they are 36-8 this season. Their defense has been spectacular on their home floor, holding opponents to just 90.5 points per game. Kobe went off in Game 2, and their really wasn’t much the Rockets could do about it as Shane Battier constantly had a hand in Bryant’s face. After watching the first two games of this series, it appears Kobe is going to get his, so it will be up to the Rockets to keep everyone else in check like they did in Game 1. Houston will not be able to win this series if Yao Ming continues to get into foul trouble. The Rockets are at their best when they can play through Yao on the offensive end. When he is out of the game, the offense often looks out of whack. If you think Houston bounce back in Game 3, bet the Rockets at +1 at Sportsbook.com.

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