Los Angeles at Houston

Houston shocked the world with a win in game 1. Can they pull off another upset in game 3 to take a 2-1 lead? Yes they can! The Rockets showed in game one (and parts of game two) that they can out-muscle the Lakers and frustrate them. Heck, they lost all four regular season games to LA, but they were leading them all going into the fourth quarter. They broke through in game one of this series to hold on to the lead. They believe they can win and that's half the battle when playing Kobe and company. We felt LA was in a good spot, coming off an upset loss and in need of making a statement last game and played them. Tonight it's Houston that's in the good spot. The Lakers still don't seem "all there." Their playoff games have shown that they are not committing to defense and hard-nosed play every night. Houston is 36-8 on the season at home, holding opponents to 90.5 points per game. This is a tough place to play and it will be rocking. Give me a 36-8 team in this situation. Especially one in the playofs with such a defensive advantage. The Rockets allowed 90.5 ppg on the season here while the Lakers allowed over 100 per game on the road. In this game it will be Houston looking to atone for a humiliating loss. The Rockets are 20-11 ATS this season coming off a loss inclulding 10-2 off a double-digit loss. They are also 14-2 this season at home vs. teams that allow 100+ ppg. I like Houston to win this game.