Two Western Conference teams faceoff on Wednesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers (3-4, 2-5 ATS) travel to take on the Houston Rockets (3-3, 3-3 ATS). The Lakers just lost on the road in Miami, going down to the Heat 108-107, covering the spread as 1.5-point underdogs. The Rockets just won big against the Kings, winning at home 122-97 and winning outright as 2.5-point dogs. The Lakers are currently listed as 3-point road favorites. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 EST from the Toyota Center in Houston.

Lakers Contact League About Officiating

Every game matters in the NBA, and the Lakers believe they were cheated out of a win on the road in Miami. The Lakers recently reached out to the league concerning how LeBron James was officiated at the end of the game. The Lakers believe they have evidence that LeBron should have been sent to the free throw line multiple times in the fourth, but did not get the foul called. Their motive must be to prevent this from happening in the future, as the NBA is highly unlikely to change anything about the outcome of the game.

LeBron is still defeating Father Time for the moment, as the 38-year forward is leading the Lakers in scoring with 25.3 PPG. LeBron is averaging 8.4 RPG and 5.9 APG, while playing nearly 36 minutes a night. Both James and Anthony Davis have not missed a game yet, Davis is scoring 23.9 PPG and leading the team in rebounding with 12.0 per game. DeAngelo Russell runs the point for the Lakers, scoring 17.3 PPG and leading the team with 6.4 APG. Austin Reeves is scoring 14.0 PPG from the wing.

Taureen Prince has been the fifth starter when healthy, he is an excellent defender at the forward position, and is the top shooter on the team averaging 2.0 made threes per game. In the games that Prince missed, Cam Reddish stepped in to fill the other starting spot. Christian Wood was brought in to boost the second team’s front line, he is averaging 8.9 PPG early in the season. The Lakers currently rank 12th in offensive efficiency and 14th in defensive efficiency according to dunksandthrees.com. The Lakers do not play a fast style of basketball, their tempo ranks 23rd based on their pace of play.

Rockets Win Three Straight

The Houston Rockets lost their first three games of the season, but followed it up by winning their next three leading up to this matchup with LA. Their first win of the season came over Charlotte, they then defeated Sacramento twice in a row, with both games coming in Houston. In their most recent game, third year guard Jalen Green led the way with 23 points, and the Rockets got out to a ten point lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Head coach Ime Udoka spoke about the start saying, “I loved our aggressiveness at the start. They came out with some more physicality and tried to increase their pressure, and we handled it well and kind of threw it back at them.”

Jalen Green leads the team in scoring with 18.2 PPG. Green is just 21-years old and looking to improve, he averaged 22.1 PPG last season and is a big piece of the Rockets’ young core. Alpren Sengun is one of the best kept secrets in the league, the big man is averaging 18.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG and 7.0 APG as a 21-year old 6’11 center. The starters do all the scoring for Houston, and they have started the same lineup in every game. Fred Van Vleet averages 16.7 PPG and 8.2 APG from the point guard position. Forwards Dillon Brooks (16.3 PPG) and Jabari Smith Jr. (14.2 PPG) round out the rest of the starting lineup for Houston.

Amen Thompson and Jae’Sean Tate have been the top contributors off the bench, both are averaging around six points per game. Houston’s offense is ranked 22nd in efficiency and their defense ranks 23rd. Houston is a young team, but they play slow offensively, their tempo ranks 29th in the NBA.