The Houston Rockets (49-26) travel to face off against the Los Angeles Lakers (45-29) on Monday, March 31st. This game will be played at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and televised on TNT. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 10:00 ET.

Rockets vs Lakers

The Rockets Are Coming Off A Win

Houston improved to 49-26 on the season with a dominant 148-109 win over the Suns on Sunday. The Rockets, favored by 2.5 points, covered the spread with ease. The game’s total of 257 points went well over the pre-game line of 220.5.

Houston took control early, going on a 16-0 run to stretch the score from 24-22 to 40-22. They outscored Phoenix 46-25 in the 2nd quarter and led 112-73 heading into the 4th, where both teams scored 36 points.

The Lakers Are Coming Off A Win

With a 134-127 win over the Grizzlies on Saturday, the Lakers improved to 45-29. Los Angeles entered the game as +1.5 point underdogs and covered the spread with the victory. The total score of 261 points exceeded the pre-game O/U line of 239.5 by 21.5 points.

Key to the Lakers’ win was an 11-0 run that brought them from 42-30 to 42-41. After an even 2nd quarter (33-33), the Grizzlies edged the Lakers 38-30 in the 3rd. However, the Lakers, leading 102-99 going into the 4th, closed out the game by outscoring Memphis 32-28 in the final quarter.

Rockets Offense Breakdown

Jalen Green’s 33 points, including 32 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, helped the Rockets to a 148-109 win over the Suns. Alperen Sengün added 16 points, and Fred VanVleet chipped in 13, with 9 of those coming in the 2nd quarter.

Houston shot 57.1% from the field and hit 18 threes at a 58.1% clip. Cam Whitmore scored all 13 of his points in the 4th quarter, while Jock Landale added 9 of his 11 points in the final period.

Lakers Offense Breakdown

Austin Reaves led the Lakers to a win over the Grizzlies, scoring 31 points and hitting 5 threes at a 62.5% rate. He also added 8 assists and 7 rebounds. Luka Dončić contributed 29 points and 9 assists, while LeBron James added 25 points and 8 assists.

The Lakers made 19 threes, shooting 44.2% from beyond the arc and 50.6% overall. Reaves and Dončić both scored 9 points in the 3rd and 4th quarters, while Gabe Vincent added 9 of his 15 points in the opening period.

Rockets Team Defense

Defensively, the Rockets were solid through three quarters, allowing 24 points in both the 1st and 3rd quarters and 25 in the 2nd. However, they gave up 36 points in the 4th. Despite that, they held the Suns to 109 points on 48% shooting.

Houston did well defending the three, with Phoenix hitting just 10 threes at 31%. The Suns also went 15/17 from the line. The Rockets grabbed 32 defensive rebounds while allowing 10 offensive boards. They also recorded 14 steals and 4 blocks.

Lakers Team Defense

The Rockets put together a strong defensive performance against the Suns, allowing 109 points in their win. They gave up 24 points in both the 1st and 3rd quarters and 25 in the 2nd, but the Suns managed 36 points in the 4th. Houston held Phoenix to 10 made threes on 31% shooting from beyond the arc.

Houston sent the Suns to the free-throw line 17 times, where they made 15 shots. The Rockets grabbed 32 defensive rebounds while allowing 10 offensive boards. They also recorded 14 steals and 4 blocks in the game.

Rockets vs Lakers Trends

• When looking at their past ten road matchups, Houston has an ATS record of 4-6 while averaging 116 per game. The team went 5-5 overall in these games.
• When looking at their past three home matchups, Los Angeles has an ATS record of 1-2 while averaging 123 per game. The team went 2-1 overall in these games.
• Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Houston has an ATS mark of 1-4 while going 0-5 straight up.
• Going back to their previous five games as the favorite, Los Angeles has an ATS mark of 1-4 while going 2-3 straight up.

Rockets vs Lakers Prediction

Coming in as the underdogs at +5, we have the Rockets as the way to go on the point spread. Not only do we have them covering, but our projections show they have a good one of winning this one straight-up, if you’re looking for a higher payout on the money line.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 226, and our model predicts the Rockets and Lakers to score a combined 271 points. We recommend betting on the over.

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.