Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to lock up their seed in the Western Conference on Friday night when they host the No. 2-seeded Houston Rockets.
Houston sat a bunch of players on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers, and it technically has nothing to play for since it can’t move up or down from the No. 2 spot in the West.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are coming off a huge win on Wednesday against Dallas and are in the driver’s seat for the No. 3 seed in the conference.
Here’s a look at the odds, players to watch in the prop market and my prediction for Friday’s game – the second-to-last one for each of these teams this season.
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.
Spread
Moneyline
Total
Rockets Injury Report
Lakers Injury Report
Note: These props suggestions were written before odds were released and are based on past player performance.
Los Angeles Lakers Best NBA Prop Bet
Reaves took a step back on Wednesday, attempting just 10 shots in Luka Doncic’s return to Dallas, but he’s been a major scorer for this Lakers team as of late. Over his last 25 games (since the All-Star break), Reaves is averaging 22.2 points on 14.7 shots per game.
For the season, Reaves is averaging 20.2 points per game while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3.
Houston has nothing to play for at this point in the season, as it’s already locked into the No. 2 seed in the West.
After sitting Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Fred VanVleet in the loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Rockets rest a few other players in this game (Sengun, Smith and FVV are all questionable in this game).
As for the Lakers, they are aiming to lock up the No. 3 seed and give their players some rest in their season finale on Sunday.
I expect Los Angeles to go all out in what could be a second-round preview in the playoffs. Los Angeles has also been elite at home this season, going 26-14 against the spread – the third-best record in the NBA.
Pick: Lakers -8.5 (-110 at DraftKings)
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.
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