The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Texas to face the Houston Rockets.
The pregame narrative: Amen Thompson returns from suspension and is part of a +380 SGP that also includes a pick on Jalen Green and Rockets moneyline.
Check out my Lakers vs. Rockets same-game parlay predictions for Jan. 5.
Lakers vs. Rockets predictions
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Parlay: Rockets moneyline + Green over 19.5 points + Thompson over 14.5 points (+380)
Rockets moneyline (-167): Houston has quietly been one of the NBA’s best teams, holding a record of 22-12.
That includes being 12-6 at home and 20-14 against the spread (sixth best in the NBA).
The Rockets are 4.5-point favourites tonight but I will back them to win straight up for some added insurance.
Los Angeles is rolling right now, having won seven of its last ten. However, the side is 8-9 on the road. It starts a two-game Texas trip with the Rockets before heading to Dallas.
This will be the Lakers’ fourth game in six days, which leads me to believe fatigue will be an issue. According to nbaage.com, the Rockets are the third youngest team (by minutes) in the NBA.
To compare, Los Angeles is the seventh-oldest and both LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be game-time decisions.
SGP legs
Green over 19.5 points (-134): Jabari Smith Jr. is out 4-8 weeks and that’s a big factor in the last two legs of this parlay.
Firstly, Smith was an important player in the Rockets’ rotation. He took 9.5 shots per game so that offence will need to be picked up elsewhere.
And there’s nowhere better to look than Green. In Smith’s first game out, Houston’s shooting guard had 27 points in a blowout loss to the Boston Celtics.
Green leads the Rockets in points (19.6) and shot attempts (16.7) per game. He’s also cashed this wager in five of the last eight contests.
Any uptick in volume for Green would be hugely beneficial for this wager.
Thompson over 14.5 points (-106): With Smith out, there are 30.8 minutes open in the Rockets’ rotation.
The last time fans saw Thompson, he was ejected from a game with the Miami Heat for a viral on-court altercation with Tyler Herro.
However, it was reported by Sports Radio 610 Houston that Thompson would start upon his return in place of the injured Smith.
Thompson averaged 16.6 points in five starts this season but more importantly, is 8-3 against this line when logging 30-plus minutes.
The young, hard-nosed wing should easily clear 30 minutes of playing time as a starter on Sunday.
Picks made at 11:14 a.m. ET 01/05/2025
Spencer is a true sports junkie. A graduate of the Sports Journalism program at Centennial College, he first joined NorthStar Gaming as an intern in 2023. He is now a contributing writer. He loves finding the edge to bet on in all sports but has a deep passion for the NBA and UFC. Previous stops include Sportsnet.