Imagn Images
Christmas Day features a loaded five-game NBA slate, with one of the headliners being a massive Western Conference tilt between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers enter Thursday at 19-9, good for fourth in the Western Conference. The Rockets aren’t far behind at 17-10 and sixth in the West. Christmas is the first of three meetings between these playoff contenders this season, and both teams are aiming to snap two-game losing streaks.Â
There’s plenty of star power in this game, be it emerging stars like Los Angeles’ Austin Reaves and Houston’s Alperen Sengun, or future Hall of Famers in LeBron James for the Lakers and the Rockets’ Kevin Durant. James missed considerable time to open the season but he’s been hot over the last few weeks, while Durant is enjoying a solid first campaign with the Rockets. Those two longtime superstars are key to this NBA same-game parlay for Rockets vs. Lakers. All odds for this parlay are courtesy of FanDuel and picks are with the aid of the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NBA game 10,000 times.
Rockets vs. Lakers NBA same-game parlay picksKevin Durant Over 29.5 points + reboundsLeBron James Under 27.5 points + assistsOver 229.5
Kevin Durant Over 29.5 points + rebounds
Durant is averaging 30.2 points + rebounds per game this year, and he’s cleared this line in four of his last five games. The model expects him to do so again as it projects 30.6 total points + rebounds for Durant against the Lakers on Christmas.
LeBron James Under 27.5 points + assists
James has been good over his last four games after a rather slow start to the year by his lofty standards but even amid a hot stretch, the SportsLine model is banking on an Under finish on his points + assists prop line of 27.5. James has cleared this line in each of his last four games and five of his last six, but the model tabs “The King” for 25.7 points + assists Thursday night.Â
Over 229.5
These teams each rank in the top 10 in points per game (Houston is third, L.A. is 10th), and the model expects points to fly on Thursday and for the Rockets and Lakers to clear the Over on 229.5. The Over hits in 65.1% of simulations, good for a rare ‘A’ grade from the model. The Rockets are 17-10 to the Over this season and the Lakers are 19-9. For a full game forecast and more player prop picks, check out the SportsLine game forecast for Rockets vs. Lakers.
Responsible gaming
Bettors of all experience levels should practice responsible gaming whenever placing wagers, and bettors should be aware of the different tools and resources available to them at different sportsbooks. These including gaming alerts and limits, timeout options as well as contact information for helplines like 1-800-GAMBLER (call or text 24/7).