NBA 2021/22 on Thursday, 10.03.2022
Houston Rockets vs Los Angeles Lakers? Instinctively, many basketball fans would assign victory to the purple yellows on this pairing on their betting slip. But with this NBA tip, it pays to look a little closer.
Of course, the Texans are one of the weaker teams that have seen no land in recent weeks. However, in my Rockets Lakers tip, I trust the home side to be on the winning side tonight for once, and for good reason …
The game against the Lakers will be a very special one for Dennis Schröder. Last year, the German was still playing for the Lila Yellows, but lost his way in the salary poker and ended up with the Boston Celtics at the beginning of the season.
A few weeks ago, he was shipped on to Houston, the supposed “Greuther Fürth of the NBA”. But what was a low point in his career for the young Braunschweig native turned out to be an absolute stroke of luck for the Texans.
Indeed, the Rockets had to offer the C’s some promising talents like Bruno Fernando and Enes Freedom for the trade, but the game structure of the red and white has benefited enormously from this decision.
While Houston clearly remains a team that won’t sniff playoff air or make a big splash in the future. However, I deliberately picked them for today’s Rockets Lakers tip.
The Texans have a promising young squad, which is helped enormously by Dennis Schröder in the build-up to the game – even though they have only won one of their last fourteen NBA games.
But most of those defeats came before the German was traded. Against these reeling Lakers, I also have every confidence in the home side, even if the German bookmakers don’t seem to want to know about it.
The Lakers are a shadow of their former selves in my eyes and are only kept alive by an outstanding LeBron James. But even he couldn’t prevent the purple yellows from losing five of their last six games by now.
Russell Westbrook, meanwhile, is likely to be out until the end of the season, with much resentment spilling over from the fans, which he recently made public. Anthony Davis is also unlikely to return any time soon.
Consequently, I actually assume that the Rockets could ultimately prevail against a starting five of the Californians that is severely weakened by replacements. The home advantage will certainly not play a subordinate role here.
The Lakers have lost each of their last eight NBA away games and are on the decline. Although the purple yellows won each of the three games against the Texans this season, it is important to add something at this point.
For one thing, Los Angeles has not been able to win any of these three games by a margin of more than ten points, and for another, two (or sometimes even all three) of the visitors’ superstars have always been on the floor.
That means LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. However, we have learned that two of these key players are out, while Dennis Schröder will be wearing red and white for the first time in this pairing.
I expect another strong performance from LeBron James beyond the 30-point mark. Of course, anything is possible for The King, but it’s unlikely that he’ll pull 56 points out of his hat like he did recently against the Warriors.
Conclusion: Normally, I wouldn’t give any thought to a possible Texans win in this pairing. However, a couple of favourable factors intersect tonight!
For one thing, Dennis Schröder, recently traded to Houston, represents an offensive upgrade beyond compare, and he may excel in the game against his old employer.
Furthermore, Los Angeles has not won any of its three victories over the Rockets this season by more than ten points. Moreover, in all of those games, LeBron James has never been on his own like he is tonight.
Consequently, in my Rockets Lakers tip I actually expect a surprise win for the hosts!
