Rockets vs. Lakers Prediction, Expert Picks & NBA Odds: Best Bets & Player Props for Friday, April 11
🏀 Houston Rockets vs. Los Angeles Lakers preview
The Houston Rockets (52-28) have locked up the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, but the No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers (49-31) still need to keep winning to hold onto their spot as both the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets could sneak by them.
While one side has a lot to play for, the other doesn’t, opening up value for some sharp NBA picks. Let’s dive into our Rockets vs. Lakers prediction with an eye to game theory.
We’ll break down the NBA odds you need to know for this game as we identify our expert picks and player props.
📺 Game info & where to watch Rockets vs. Lakers live today
📅 Date: Friday, April 11
🕗 Time: 10:30 p.m. ET
📍 Location: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles)
📺 TV: NBA TV
💻 Streaming: Fubo, NBA League Pass
📊 Rockets vs. Lakers stats: Records, trends & best odds today
📈 For full team stats and betting line history, follow our Rockets vs. Lakers prediction.
💡 Rockets vs. Lakers prediction & expert picks: Friday, April 11
🎯 Score prediction: Lakers 117, Rockets 108
✅ Best bet: Rockets +10.5 (-120 via ESPN BET)
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📰 Rockets vs. Lakers NBA preview & matchup analysis
It’s tricky to handicap teams that have no incentive to win. Last night, we wrongly faded the Cavaliers against the spread - they kept things quite tight with the Pacers - but we correctly identified that Jarrett Allen would play a nominal role, allowing us to cash his Unders. The markets see this game quite similarly, as Los Angeles is a 10.5-point favorite.
Tonight, the same reasoning applies to Houston, although the situation is murkier. The Rockets are listing Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Fred VanVleet as just questionable, and the rest of their rotation is off the injury report. Maybe LeBron James is right about players wanting to suit up against the Lakers.
Since Los Angeles is the only side of this matchup we can expect to use its standard starting lineup (James is probable), the stats don’t mean all that much. Still, it’s worth noting that this Lakers team is only 14th in net rating (+2.1), 17th in offensive efficiency (115.9), and 17th in defensive efficiency (113.8) since the All-Star break.
So for all you’ve probably seen or read about how good the Doncic-James combination has been for L.A., remember to consider the numbers. Sure, they’re also 18-12 over that span, but they aren’t some unbeatable menace, and this Rockets team may have just enough gas left in the tank to at least cover.
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💰 Rockets vs. Lakers picks & best bets
✅ Against the spread pick: Rockets +10.5 (-120 via ESPN BET) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅ Moneyline pick: Lakers ML (-455 via BetMGM) ⭐
✅ Over/Under pick: Over 224.5 (-110 via BetMGM) ⭐⭐⭐
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⛹️ Best Rockets vs. Lakers player props & same-game parlay
🔎 Our NEW NBA player prop odds tool can help you find the best NBA odds across legal sportsbooks in your area!
🔥 LeBron James Under 22.5 points⭐⭐⭐⭐
We’re leaning on the market for one. Some of the most respected trading teams have the Under 22.5 priced down at -124, so we can snag some serious value by playing this for -110 at DraftKings. That’s a difference of just under 3 percentage points of implied probability, which, while not huge, is generally profitable over the long run.
In addition to the market-based reasoning above, there’s also the clear risk of a blowout. Should the Rockets choose to rest multiple starters despite only listing them as questionable currently, or should they choose to sit starters after only a few minutes, the Lakers could blow this one out. While I’ve got enough faith in the Houston bench to cover the 10.5, the range of outcomes for LeBron skews well toward the under tonight.
🔢 LeBron James player prop bet odds
🔥 Austin Reaves Under 20.5 points ⭐⭐⭐⭐
With no player props available for any Houston player, we’re double-dipping on scoring unders for two of Los Angeles’ starters. And, as with the above pick for LeBron, we’re leaning on the market to do so. Sharp offshores and most domestic sportsbooks have Reaves’ points prop set to 19.5. DraftKings is hanging a 20.5 and is charging a reasonable -125 for it.
While Reaves is averaging 22.2 points per game since the All-Star break, that output dips slightly to 20.9 when he plays alongside Doncic. Further, the Rockets held Reaves to only 12 points in their last matchup despite him playing 39 minutes, largely because he chose to attempt only 11 field goals.
🔢 Austin Reaves player prop bet odds
🔥 Luka Doncic Over 1.5 steals ⭐⭐⭐
I had to get a little creative for this one, but if the Rockets end up using a different rotation tonight, turnovers are a serious concern due to a lack of shared playing time. They tallied 13 turnovers against the Clippers in a similar spot on Wednesday, with Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard, and James Harden all tallying at least two steals. Dunn and Leonard even had three.
Doncic is averaging 1.72 steals per game since the All-Star break, going over this number in 15 of his 25 appearances. But despite this solid trend, you’ll find the over 1.5 priced at +108 on FanDuel while it’s closer to even at most other sportsbooks. DraftKings even has this Over priced at -110.
🔢 Luka Doncic player prop bet odds
🚀 Best Rockets vs. Lakers parlay picks & SGP odds
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🔢 Best Rockets vs. Lakers odds & betting lines
🛒 Shop around for the best Rockets vs. Lakers odds from our best sports betting apps.
📡 Rockets vs. Lakers live odds
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🪧 Rockets vs. Lakers opening odds
Opening odds via BetMGM.
- Spread: Rockets +9.5 (-110) | Lakers -9.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Rockets +350 | Lakers -475
- Over/Under: Over 226.5 (-115) | Under 226.5 (-105)
🚑 Rockets vs. Lakers injury report
📋 For the latest injury news, check today's official NBA injury report.
🗳️ Who will win Rockets vs. Lakers?
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